Is capitalism racist?
openDemocracy, 2020
In this podcast, Laura Basu focuses on how capitalist markets and nation-states perpetuate structural racism. The podcast explores the intersection between racism and global capitalism whilst discussing neo-colonialism, reparative justice and economic democracy. Expert academics - Vijay Prashad, Dalia Gebrial, Charles Mills, Gargi Bhattacharyya and Ronald Galvin - all discuss the different facets of this intersection and their visions for achieving reparative justice in a new economy. They explain that the historical origins of capitalism and the industrial revolution are rooted in colonialism. Today, capitalist economies continue to rely on racialised hierarchies, and nation-states maintain racial capitalism through borders and neo-colonial foreign policy.
Comment from our editors:
Capitalism and racism are inextricably linked both historically and in our present reality. In order to understand how to dismantle structural racism, we must understand how our political economic system perpetuates and produces racialised hierarchies, exploitation and oppression. This podcast brings together various perspectives on how these processes take place and how we can work collectively towards reparative justice.