A political theory of money.
City, University of London, 15 March 2024, 17.00–18.30.

Anush Kapadia will be launching his new book, A Political Theory of Money, in London this March at CITYPERC. Sahil Jai Dutta will act as discussant.

What is money? Why does something so insubstantial have value? How do money systems make promises function like valuable things? Why are money systems always hierarchical yet variable? The answer, the book argues, is politics. Money is institutionalised social power. Politics generates institutions that differentially lock into the future product of political and economic collectives. Money emerges from the institutionalisation of social antagonisms to encapsulate a collective’s productive potential in a flexible, tradable instrument. This takes a system. Money is built in hierarchical layers out of the inherently variable material of politics and at various economic scales. This book outlines these variable processes theoretically and through case studies.

The event is free and you can register to attend here. More information available on the event page.