Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Week 2.2 - Late Capitalism

What, according to these readings, are some basic features of late capitalism?

Monday, January 20, 2020

Anth 4250/5250 - Week 2.1 - Capitalism: Making Money with Money

How does Keith Hart describe the dynamics of money, markets, and political power in the modern era?

Thursday, April 25, 2019

Monday, April 8, 2019

Week 13.1 & 13.2 Liar's Poker

Discuss this week's reading Liar's Poker. What do we learn about Wall street culture through this book?

Monday, April 1, 2019

Week 12.1 & 12.2 Bitcoin Miners and Boom Towns

[Politico article] What aspects of the bitcoin boom are covered in this article? In what ways do the bitcoin mining towns resemble boom towns in other examples of rushes to riches?
[NY Times article] Discuss the following quote from this article: "The paradox about Bitcoin is that it may well turn out to be a genuinely revolutionary breakthrough and at the same time a colossal failure as a currency." What, according to this article, might be the effects of Bitcoin on economic and other realms?

Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Week 11.2 D'avella - Ecologies of Investment

How do different materialities and ecologies play/ed a role in Argentina's economic crisis discussed in this article?

Sunday, March 24, 2019

Week 11.1 Bruce Grant - The Edifice Complex

This week's readings focus on speculative construction projects in different cities in the world. Bruce Grant's article focusses on a building boom in Baku, Azerbaijan. What is the source of cash for this building boom? What are the various motives behind this boom--by private corporations but also by the government? How does the socialist experience of construction influence contemporary commentaries and imaginaries around these constructions by the residents?