Re-enchanting the World: Feminism and the Politics of the Commons (KAIROS)

Presents a collection of Federici's work spanning over twenty years, offering a detailed history and critique of the politics of the commons from a feminist perspective. Federici provides readers with an analysis of some of the key issues and debates in contemporary thinking on this subject. Drawing on historical research, she maps the connections between the previous forms of enclosure that occurred with the birth of capitalism and the destruction of the commons and the "new enclosures" at the heart of the present phase of global capitalist accumulation. Considering the commons from a feminist perspective, this collection centers on women and reproductive work as crucial to both our economic survival and the construction of a world free from the hierarchies and divisions capital has planted in the body of the world proletariat. Federici is clear that the commons should not be understood as happy islands in a sea of exploitative relations but rather autonomous spaces from which to challenge the existing capitalist organization of life and labor. --From publisherdescription. Silvia Federici is one of the most important contemporary theorists of capitalism and feminist movements. In this edited collection of her work spanning more than 20 years, she provides a detailed history and critique of the politics of the commons from a feminist perspective. In her clear and combative voice, Federici provides readers with an analysis of some of the key issues and debates in contemporary thinking on this subject. Drawing on rich historical research, she maps the connections between the previous forms of enclosure that occurred with the birth of capitalism and the destruction of the commons and the "new enclosures" at the heart of the present phase of global capitalist accumulation. Considering the commons from a feminist perspective, this collection centers on women and reproductive work as crucial to both our economic survival and the construction of a world free from the hierarchies and divisions capital has planted in the body of the world proletariat. Federici is clear that the commons should not be understood as happy islands in a sea of exploitative relations but rather autonomous spaces from which to challenge the existing capitalist organization of life and labor. Front Cover 1 Title Page 2 Half Title 6 Copyright 7 Contents 8 Acknowledgments 10 Foreword 14 Introduction 20 Part One: On the New Enclosures 30 Introduction to Part One 32 On Primitive Accumulation, Globalization, and Reproduction 34 Introduction to the New Enclosures 45 The Debt Crisis, Africa, and the New Enclosures 53 China: Breaking the Iron Rice Bowl 70 From Commoning to Debt: Financialization, Microcredit, and the Changing Architecture of Capital Accumulation 79 Part Two: On the Commons 94 Introduction to Part Two 96 Beneath the United States, the Commons 97 Commons against and beyond Capitalism 104 The University: A Knowledge Common? 118 Feminism and the Politics of the Commons in an Era of Primitive Accumulation 121 Women’s Struggles for Land in Africa and the Reconstruction of the Commons 135 Women’s Struggles for Land and the Common Good in Latin America 153 Marxism, Feminism, and the Commons 170 From Crisis to Commons: Reproductive Work, Affective Labor and Technology, and the Transformation of Everyday Life 194 Re-enchanting the World: Technology, the Body, and the Construction of the Commons 207 Bibliography 217 About the Authors 236 Index 238 "Silvia Federici is one of the most important contemporary theorists of capitalism and feminist movements. In this collection of her work spanning over twenty years, she provides a detailed history and critique of the politics of the commons from a feminist perspective. In her clear and combative voice, Federici provides readers with an analysis of some of the key issues and debates in contemporary thinking on this subject. Drawing on rich historical research, she maps the connections between the previous forms of enclosure that occurred with the birth of capitalism and the destruction of the commons and the “new enclosures” at the heart of the present phase of global capitalist accumulation. Considering the commons from a feminist perspective, this collection centers on women and reproductive work as crucial to both our economic survival and the construction of a world free from the hierarchies and divisions capital has planted in the body of the world proletariat. Federici is clear that the commons should not be understood as happy islands in a sea of exploitative relations but rather autonomous spaces from which to challenge the existing capitalist organization of life and labor."--Page 4 de la couverture "Silvia Federici is one of the most important contemporary theorists of capitalism and feminist movements. In this collection of her work spanning over twenty years, she provides a detailed history and critique of the politics of the commons from a feminist perspective. In her clear and combative voice, Federici provides readers with an analysis of some of the key issues and debates in contemporary thinking on this subject. Drawing on rich historical research, she maps the connections between the previous forms of enclosure that occurred with the birth of capitalism and the destruction of the commons and the "new enclosures" at the heart of the present phase of global capitalist accumulation. Considering the commons from a feminist perspective, this collection centers on women and reproductive work as crucial to both our economic survival and the construction of a world free from the hierarchies and divisions capital has planted in the body of the world proletariat. Federici is clear that the commons should not be understood as happy islands in a sea of exploitative relations but rather autonomous spaces from which to challenge the existing capitalist organization of life and labor"--Publisher's description "Silvia Federici is one of the most important contemporary theorists of capitalism and feminist movements. In this collection of her work spanning over twenty years, she provides a detailed history and critique of the politics of the commons from a feminist perspective. In her clear and combative voice, Federici provides readers with an analysis of some of the key issues and debates in contemporary thinking on this subject. Drawing on rich historical research, she maps the connections between the previous forms of enclosure that occurred with the birth of capitalism and the destruction of the commons and the "new enclosures" at the heart of the present phase of global capitalist accumulation. Considering the commons from a feminist perspective, this collection centers on women and reproductive work as crucial to both our economic survival and the construction of a world free from the hierarchies and divisions capital has planted in the body of the world proletariat. Federici is clear that the commons should not be understood as happy islands in a sea of exploitative relations but rather autonomous spaces from which to challenge the existing capitalist organization of life and labor"-- Provided by publisher