David W. Harvey and the RSA
Crises of capitalism
About the speaker
David W. Harvey’s many books embrace the broad sweep of human life from economics and sociology, to how we live in cities. He is the Distinguished Professor of Anthropology and Geography at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.
The big issue
The world economy crashed in 2007, but why? David Harvey grabs the issue by the scruff of the neck and looks at it from a Marxist perspective - the inherent problems of capitalism are the cause. Historically, capitalism never solves its crises, but just shifts them around. Is there a solution? Possibly not, but we need to debate whether capitalism is the right path to follow if we’re going to stop these crises happening again.
Read the book
The Enigma of Capital: And the Crises of Capitalism
Dissecting the workings of capitalism, radical sociologist David Harvey shows exactly how it works and how catastrophic crashes aren’t just inevitable, but essential to keep it going. He then asks if it is time to look beyond capitalism towards a new social order that would allow us to live within a responsible, just and humane system.
