Furthermore, he ignored the witch hunts, which she considers as important as colonization and the expropriation of peasants. Bot Marx paid little attention to the new subjugation of women that it entailed and thought that the original violence would be subsumed under economic laws, which this author denies. Primitive accumulation is the foundational process which structures the conditions for capitalism.

She wants to study the transition to capitalism using Feminist, Foucauldian and Marxist perspectives, i.e. The preface concludes with a worry that historical consciousness of common struggles is being erased from the new generation. Central for capitalism is a destruction of Commons (communal lands) and family structures.Ĭlearly in her mind, capitalism is a regression for women. An experience in Nigeria (84-86), convinced her of similar processes to 16-17th cy Europe, still going on. With a first book in Italy in the 1984, the author started focusing on the transition to capitalism. Thus patriarchy can be historicized as a function of class. It came strongly recommended as the 'third essential book' on the history of capitalism, together with Fernand Braudel and Karl Polany.'Ī key debate in the 70's feminist movement was: 'is women's oppression a continuation of feudal domination, or, essential to capitalist development ? Does it have roots in culture or in the mode of production ?ĭella Costa and James (?) had argued that unpaid household work was crucial for capitalist accumulation and reproduction of labor power. This is 'A history of the body in the transition to capitalism'. 1.2 The Accumulation of Labor and the Degradation of Womenįrom the reading notes of Michel Bauwens, 2005:.1.1 Social Movements and Political Crises in Medieval Europe.

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