Christian W. Chun’s A World without Capitalism? is a groundbreaking sociolinguistic ethnography that explores the discursive and material representations of capitalism and anti-capitalism in everyday life. Through interdisciplinary research spanning applied linguistics, ethnography, political economy, philosophy, and cultural studies, Chun investigates how capitalist and non-capitalist ideologies are embodied in people’s practices and narratives. This open-access book offers a critical examination of capitalism’s pervasive influence and imagines alternative economic futures.
Recommended for: Students and researchers in applied linguistics, discourse analysis, and cultural studies. It will also appeal to those interested in understanding capitalism’s workings and exploring possibilities for living beyond it. Scholars in sociology, anthropology, geography, and political science will find valuable insights into how economic systems shape social realities. Activists and policymakers concerned with economic justice and alternative social organizations will benefit from Chun’s nuanced analysis of capitalist and anti-capitalist discourses and practices.
You will:
• Gain a deeper understanding of how capitalism operates discursively and materially in everyday life
• Explore alternative economic imaginaries and practices that challenge dominant capitalist logics
• Learn about sociolinguistic and ethnographic methods for analyzing economic discourses and identities
• Examine the intersections of class, race, and urban spaces in the context of American capitalism
• Investigate the role of language and semiotics in constructing economic realities
• Consider possibilities for envisioning and enacting post-capitalist futures
Detailed Overview
A World without Capitalism? offers a comprehensive examination of how capitalist and anti-capitalist discourses, identities, and material realities are constructed, embodied, and navigated in everyday life. Drawing on extensive ethnographic fieldwork and sociolinguistic discourse analysis, Christian W. Chun provides a nuanced exploration of the ways people engage with, resist, and reimagine dominant economic systems.
The book is structured around eight chapters that progressively build a complex understanding of capitalism’s discursive and material manifestations.
Chapter 1 introduces the central question of whether a world without capitalism is possible, setting the stage for the subsequent investigation.
Chapter 2 delves into the “spectral realities” of capitalism, examining how it permeates various aspects of social life, often in subtle or invisible ways.
Chapter 3 tackles the contentious issue of class identity, exploring the complexities of working-class and middle-class labels in contemporary society.
This discussion is further developed in Chapter 4, which focuses on the crucial role of race in American capitalism, highlighting the intersections of economic and racial inequalities.
The fifth chapter, titled “Working for the clampdown,” likely examines how capitalist systems exert control over workers and labor processes.
Chapter 6 expands the scope to consider workplaces, cities, and global contexts, demonstrating the multi-scalar nature of capitalist relations.
Chapter 7 delves into the socio-spatialities of capital, exploring urban landscapes and alternative imaginaries. This chapter likely includes analysis of how economic systems shape and are shaped by physical and social spaces.
The final chapter, “What is to be done?” concludes the book by considering potential paths forward and possibilities for enacting alternative economic futures.
Throughout the book, Chun employs a range of analytical tools and theoretical perspectives to illuminate the complex workings of capitalism in everyday life. His use of sociolinguistic ethnography allows for a close examination of how people narrate their experiences and construct identities within capitalist systems.
By analyzing linguistic landscapes, social media interactions, and interview data, Chun reveals the subtle ways in which capitalist ideologies are reproduced or contested through language and discourse.
The interdisciplinary approach of the book, drawing on insights from applied linguistics, political economy, philosophy, and cultural studies, provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the multifaceted nature of capitalism. This allows Chun to move beyond simplistic critiques to offer a nuanced analysis of how capitalist logics are internalized, resisted, and reimagined in various contexts. One of the book’s key contributions is its focus on alternative discursive spaces, imaginaries, and practices that challenge dominant capitalist narratives.
By exploring these alternatives, Chun opens up possibilities for envisioning post-capitalist futures and understanding how such visions might be enacted in everyday life.
The open-access format of A World without Capitalism? enhances its potential impact, making these critical insights freely available to a wide audience. This accessibility aligns with the book’s ethos of challenging dominant economic paradigms and fostering broader discussions about alternative economic futures.
In conclusion, Christian W. Chun’s A World without Capitalism? offers a theoretically rigorous and empirically grounded examination of capitalism’s discursive and material realities. By centering linguistic, semiotic, and anthropological methods in its critique, the book makes a significant contribution to our understanding of how economic systems shape social life and opens up new avenues for imagining and enacting alternative economic futures.
Citation and Licensing
Christian W. Chun. Routledge. (2021). A World without Capitalism?. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/oa-mono/10.4324/9781003241041/world-without-capitalism-christian-chun This ebook is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). The full licence terms are available at creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode
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