Global Racial Capitalism

From as early as the sixteenth century to our present moment, capitalism has been a central part of modern world history. The history of capitalism is not solely one of wealth and development, but also one of extraction and exploitation. It is a history that scholars have conceptualized as racial capitalism. This course explores the global structures of inequality that are inherent to capitalism and how they have changed over time. Students will engage with key scholarly debates and theoretical concepts, which they will then apply to specific case studies in different parts of the world with a particular focus on commodities.