Money and Sweat: Economic Anthropology

Why do we work? Who decides how we should be compensated for our efforts? And why, for many of us, money does not seem to last long enough? By exploring the relationship between labour and money, this course aims at offering insights into the social processes that compose “the economy.” The course will explore the hierarchies, practices, and cultural formations that turn efforts into value(s). We will use a comparative, ethnographic, and historical approach, exploring topics such as: the making of the working class; capitalism(s) and its alternatives; debt and power; barter and multiple currencies; bitcoin and crypto worlds.