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Defetishizing money : Perspectives from economic anthropology

Hornborg, Alf LU (2024) In HAU: Journal of Ethnographic Theory 14(2). p.310-319
Abstract
Following up on Steve Gudeman’s insight that economic categories are fundamentally cultural, this lecture juxtaposes different perspectives on money that transcend the conventional society/nature divide. It considers money as a unique semiotic phenomenon that imperils life itself by accelerating the production of entropy. The “agency” of the money artifact extends beyond society into the physical metabolism of the biosphere. Money organizes and obscures asymmetric global transfers of biophysical resources, generating impoverishment as the flip side of accumulation. In attributing indexical value to money, the modern economy pivots on fetishism. To assume responsibility for the sign systems through which humans interact with the remainder... (More)
Following up on Steve Gudeman’s insight that economic categories are fundamentally cultural, this lecture juxtaposes different perspectives on money that transcend the conventional society/nature divide. It considers money as a unique semiotic phenomenon that imperils life itself by accelerating the production of entropy. The “agency” of the money artifact extends beyond society into the physical metabolism of the biosphere. Money organizes and obscures asymmetric global transfers of biophysical resources, generating impoverishment as the flip side of accumulation. In attributing indexical value to money, the modern economy pivots on fetishism. To assume responsibility for the sign systems through which humans interact with the remainder of the biosphere, it would be theoretically possible to redesign money to create a “multicentric” economy that localizes social metabolism and mitigates global inequalities. The lecture briefly sketches a utopian vision of an economy that distributes a complementary currency for local use as a universal basic income. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
HAU: Journal of Ethnographic Theory
volume
14
issue
2
pages
310 - 319
publisher
University of Cambridge * The Mongolia & Inner Asia Studies Unit
external identifiers
  • scopus:85205365387
ISSN
2049-1115
DOI
10.1086/731656
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
c41fdda9-0692-41ca-b990-1cae3c61d98e
date added to LUP
2024-02-08 14:23:19
date last changed
2025-04-04 14:26:04
@article{c41fdda9-0692-41ca-b990-1cae3c61d98e,
  abstract     = {{Following up on Steve Gudeman’s insight that economic categories are fundamentally cultural, this lecture juxtaposes different perspectives on money that transcend the conventional society/nature divide. It considers money as a unique semiotic phenomenon that imperils life itself by accelerating the production of entropy. The “agency” of the money artifact extends beyond society into the physical metabolism of the biosphere. Money organizes and obscures asymmetric global transfers of biophysical resources, generating impoverishment as the flip side of accumulation. In attributing indexical value to money, the modern economy pivots on fetishism. To assume responsibility for the sign systems through which humans interact with the remainder of the biosphere, it would be theoretically possible to redesign money to create a “multicentric” economy that localizes social metabolism and mitigates global inequalities. The lecture briefly sketches a utopian vision of an economy that distributes a complementary currency for local use as a universal basic income.}},
  author       = {{Hornborg, Alf}},
  issn         = {{2049-1115}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{09}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{310--319}},
  publisher    = {{University of Cambridge * The Mongolia & Inner Asia Studies Unit}},
  series       = {{HAU: Journal of Ethnographic Theory}},
  title        = {{Defetishizing money : Perspectives from economic anthropology}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/731656}},
  doi          = {{10.1086/731656}},
  volume       = {{14}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}