“The history of capitalism is not a story of the triumph of peaceful markets and individual ingenuity, but one of war, empire, coercion, and exploitation.”
Sven Beckert is a renowned historian of capitalism whose work has explored how everyday commodities help to explain the world around us. Through a blend of economic, social and cultural history, Sven's work goes beyond traditional economic history to explain the socio-economic forces that guide our politics today. He currently serves as the Laird Bell Professor of History at Harvard University.
He is the co-chair of the Program on the Study of Capitalism at Harvard University and the Weatherhead Initiative on Global History. His book, Empire of Cotton: A Global History, was a Pulitzer Prize finalist and won the Bancroft Prize for non-fiction. His most recent book Capitalism: A Global History seeks to move beyond capitalism being the natural state of things and instead understand this global system as an all-encompassing type of production that it represents.
“Sven Beckert joins the ranks of historians transforming economic history through a global lens and a critical perspective on capitalism’s true costs.” Washington Post
