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Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism, 7th edition

Published by Pearson (April 10, 2018) © 2019

  • Richard H. Robbins State University of New York at Plattsburgh
  • Rachel A. Dowty University of New Haven

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For courses in Global Issues and Cultural Anthropology.

Examine the development and impact of capitalism on global systems

Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism shows how capitalism and the systems that have contested it have impacted the economic, political and social forces that dominate students' lives. Drawing on disciplines such as anthropology, history, economics, and sociology, authors Richard Robbins and Rachel Dowty help students achieve a comprehensive understanding of the problems with capitalism and actionable ways to solve them.

The 7th Edition provides updated content that reflects modern issues and technologies.

Hallmark features of this title

  • The text offers in-depth discussions of the nature of money and its relationship to debt and to economic growth.
  • The Global Problem Reader offers a collection of free online reports, articles, videos, simulations and more. This resource was compiled by the author team to align newsworthy information with the chapters of the book.

New and updated features of this title

  • NEW: The authors address developments from the past 5 years that have affected societies worldwide, including Brexit, the Zika virus, changes in GDPs and the rise of authoritarian governments.
  • NEW: A new chapter on Disaster Capitalism explores how the economic system relates to the occurrence, reaction and remediation of large disasters worldwide.
  • REVISED: The final chapter addresses the political and economic upheavals of the past 5 years and the spread of austerity problems. The chapter highlights new measures that could alleviate the problems outlined in the text.
  • UPDATED: Chapter 6 expands on the role of debt in hunger and also includes an additional discussion of the debt/food insecurity cycle.

I. INTRODUCTION: THE CONSUMER, THE LABORER, THE CAPITALIST, AND THE NATION-STATE IN THE SOCIETY OF PERPETUAL GROWTH
1. Constructing the Consumer
2. The Laborer in the Culture of Capitalism
3. The Rise and Fall of the Merchant, Industrialist, and Financier
4. The Nation-State in the Culture of Capitalism

II. THE GLOBAL IMPACT OF THE CULTURE OF CAPITALISM: INTRODUCTION
5. Population Growth, Migration, and Urbanization
6. Hunger, Poverty, and Economic Development
7. Environment and Consumption
8. Health and Disease
9. Indigenous Groups and Ethnic Conflict

III. RESISTANCE AND REBELLION: INTRODUCTION
10. Peasant Adaptation and Resistance in the Face of Uncertainty
11. Anti-Systemic Protest
12. Religion and Anti-Systemic Protest
13. Solving Global Problems: Some Options and Courses of Action

About our authors

Richard H. Robbins received his PhD in anthropology from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and has spent his entire teaching career at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh. Some of his most formative academic experiences include field research among Cree, Inuit, and Naskapi First Nations peoples of Canada; Acadian farmers and fisherfolk in New Brunswick, Canada; and religious communal societies in the United States. A research semester at the Science Studies Unit at the University of Edinburgh would count as 1 of his most stimulating intellectual experiences. His most recent books include Debt as Power (Manchester University Press, 2016) and Anthropology of Money (Routledge, 2017), both co-authored by Tom DiMuzio.

He has received the State University of New York's Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching and the American Anthropological Association/McGraw-Hill Teacher of the Year Award. He also appeared in the hit anti-globalization documentary, The Yes Men. He is currently SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor at Plattsburgh.

Rachel Dowty Beech is a visiting assistant professor in the Department of Fire Science, and Coordinator of the online Emergency Management Master's Degree Program at University of New Haven. She published works in the fields of Science and Technology Studies (STS), disaster anthropology, environment and ecology, learning, and organizational culture. Her edited volume Dynamics of Disaster: Lessons on Risk, Response, and Recovery with Barbara L. Allen (Earthscan 2011) addresses some of the sociocultural problems arising from the nexus of disasters and the culture of capitalism.

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