A Theory of Capitalist Slavery
(2020) In Journal of Historical Sociology 33(1). p.74-98- Abstract
The relationship between slavery and capitalism has become a renewed topic of debate, yet scholars have not been able to agree on a definition of capitalism. In this article I first clear up some misconceptions and situate the debate in the Marxian tradition from which it arose. I argue that while non-Marxian accounts of capitalism fail to explain the key social transformations that have accompanied the rise of capitalism globally, Marxian accounts have failed to comprehend similar transformations that occurred on American slave plantations in the 19th century. I then present a general model of capitalism, building on earlier work by Brenner and Wood, that both incorporates and explains the distinctive dynamics of capitalist slavery in... (More)
The relationship between slavery and capitalism has become a renewed topic of debate, yet scholars have not been able to agree on a definition of capitalism. In this article I first clear up some misconceptions and situate the debate in the Marxian tradition from which it arose. I argue that while non-Marxian accounts of capitalism fail to explain the key social transformations that have accompanied the rise of capitalism globally, Marxian accounts have failed to comprehend similar transformations that occurred on American slave plantations in the 19th century. I then present a general model of capitalism, building on earlier work by Brenner and Wood, that both incorporates and explains the distinctive dynamics of capitalist slavery in the antebellum South.
(Less)
- author
- Clegg, John LU
- publishing date
- 2020-03-01
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- Journal of Historical Sociology
- volume
- 33
- issue
- 1
- pages
- 25 pages
- publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85082328185
- ISSN
- 0952-1909
- DOI
- 10.1111/johs.12259
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- no
- additional info
- Publisher Copyright: © 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd
- id
- 65959401-bac8-4ad7-8b57-ffaa75d3e209
- date added to LUP
- 2022-03-18 13:32:24
- date last changed
- 2025-04-04 15:13:13
@article{65959401-bac8-4ad7-8b57-ffaa75d3e209,
abstract = {{<p>The relationship between slavery and capitalism has become a renewed topic of debate, yet scholars have not been able to agree on a definition of capitalism. In this article I first clear up some misconceptions and situate the debate in the Marxian tradition from which it arose. I argue that while non-Marxian accounts of capitalism fail to explain the key social transformations that have accompanied the rise of capitalism globally, Marxian accounts have failed to comprehend similar transformations that occurred on American slave plantations in the 19th century. I then present a general model of capitalism, building on earlier work by Brenner and Wood, that both incorporates and explains the distinctive dynamics of capitalist slavery in the antebellum South.</p>}},
author = {{Clegg, John}},
issn = {{0952-1909}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{03}},
number = {{1}},
pages = {{74--98}},
publisher = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
series = {{Journal of Historical Sociology}},
title = {{A Theory of Capitalist Slavery}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/johs.12259}},
doi = {{10.1111/johs.12259}},
volume = {{33}},
year = {{2020}},
}