David Graeber's Debt: The First 5000 Years [5-week Reading Group, $150 suggested]
Instructor: Andrews | Sundays January 30-February 27 | 3:00-4:30 PM ET
In the US, household debt is currently at its highest. Student loan debt has doubled since the last recession in 2008. For many, debt creates conditions of precarity, making them unable to save for a future, and with little social safety net. Medical debt often makes further care impossible, and debt itself has tremendous effects on our mental health. Why is debt such a dominant factor in our lives? Why do we believe that it’s a moral obligation to pay back debts–especially with interest that often exceeds the initial amount? Moreover, what exactly is debt, and how can we escape the conditions it produces? In his 2011 book, Debt: The First 5000 years, anthropologist David Graeber tracks the history of debt from the earliest written accounts to our contemporary moment. We’ll read along, week-by-week, as he demythologizes the moral obligations created by debt and exposes the intimate interconnection of state violence and debt enforcement. The book is large, but the issue is pressing, and together, we’ll work through it to gain a better understanding of debt today and other ways of imagining our social obligations and collective futures.
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