4.1 Discourses of Finance - De Goede "Mastering Lady Credit"

In this chapter, de Goede claims that the Financial Revolution that originated in 17th century Europe was not just about new financial instruments but, most importantly, it was about "a rearticulation of moral and political spaces in which these instruments were condoned" (p. 25). In other words, de Goede asks us to trace the shifting histories of the discourses of morality that surround finance. How, according to her research, did these moralities of finance change? How did these changes impact the legitimation of certain financial practices (such as speculative finance)?

3.2 - Financial Bubbles and Crashes in History

Kindleberger and Aliber often discuss the notion of "euphoria" and "irrational exuberance" as an important aspect of financial bubbles. Discuss what do they mean by these terms and how do they see these influencing speculative bubbles?

Week 3.1 - Financial Bubbles and Crashes in History

How do Lewis and Einhorn discuss the systemic problems in our institutions of finance and regulation that led to the Madoff ponzi scheme and the World financial crisis of 2008? How can we compare these observations with Kindleberger and Aliber's analysis of bubbles in relation to other systemic economic factors?

Anthropology of Bubbles, Crashes, and Crises

Hi everyone and welcome to the Anthropology of Bubbles, Crashes, and Crises. We will be using this space to post weekly blog posts on the assigned readings. I will be posting a prompt on the week's readings. Please respond to the prompt in the comments section. Let me know if you have any questions. Happy blogging!

Week 13.1 Mobile Money and Social Networks

What is mobile money and how does it work as a form of money? How is mobile money different from bank-issued money? How do social relations intertwine with mobile money networks in rural Kenya?

Week 12.2 Border Economies

What are some of the border economies discussed in this article? What do the authors mean by describing the border as a "living fence"?

Week 12.1 Migrant Networks

How are remittances and social ties intertwined in the article "Love and Money in a Korean Chinese Transnational Migration"? What is botoli "work"?