Debt, the first 5,000 years, David Graeber ; with a preface by Thomas Piketty
Type
Classification
1
Creator
1
Content
1
Author
1
resource.otherEdition
1
Mapped to
1
Label
Debt, the first 5,000 years, David Graeber ; with a preface by Thomas Piketty
Language
eng
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references (pages 463-500) and index
Index
index present
Literary form
non fiction
Main title
Debt
Nature of contents
bibliography
Oclc number
1252636066
Responsibility statement
David Graeber ; with a preface by Thomas Piketty
Sub title
the first 5,000 years
Summary
"Before there was money, there was debt. For more than 5,000 years, since the beginnings of the first agrarian empires, humans have used elaborate credit systems to buy and sell goods--that is, long before the invention of coins or cash. It is in this era that we also first encounter a society divided into debtors and creditors--which lives on in full force to this day. So says anthropologist David Graeber in a stunning reversal of conventional wisdom. He shows that arguments about debt and debt forgiveness have been at the center of political debates from Renaissance Italy to Imperial China, as well as sparking innumerable insurrections. He also brilliantly demonstrates that the language of the ancient works of law and religion (words like "guilt," "sin," and "redemption") derive in large part from ancient debates about debt, and shape even our most basic ideas of right and wrong. We are still fighting these battles today"--, Provided by publisher
Target audience
adult
Incoming Resources
- Has instance2