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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We depend on a mix of direct student donations and supplemental donations to make all classes pay-what-you-can. Please pick the pricing tier that corresponds with your needs and that you are able to pay now. If you would like to pay in installments, make your first payment now and make a note on your check-out form. If you would like to donate more later in the term, you can always come back and use the “Make a One Time Donation” button! To use a full scholarship, just pick the $3 tier to cover site/processor fees.
If at any point up to 48 hours before your first class session you realize you will be unable to take the class, we will work with you to reallocate your funds to a future class, to another student’s scholarship, or refund it. After classes begin, we are only able to make partial refunds and adjustments.
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.
—
We depend on a mix of direct student donations and supplemental donations to make all classes pay-what-you-can. Please pick the pricing tier that corresponds with your needs and that you are able to pay now. If you would like to pay in installments, make your first payment now and make a note on your check-out form. If you would like to donate more later in the term, you can always come back and use the “Make a One Time Donation” button! To use a full scholarship, just pick the $3 tier to cover site/processor fees.
If at any point up to 48 hours before your first class session you realize you will be unable to take the class, we will work with you to reallocate your funds to a future class, to another student’s scholarship, or refund it. After classes begin, we are only able to make partial refunds and adjustments.
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.
—
We depend on a mix of direct student donations and supplemental donations to make all classes pay-what-you-can. Please pick the pricing tier that corresponds with your needs and that you are able to pay now. If you would like to pay in installments, make your first payment now and make a note on your check-out form. If you would like to donate more later in the term, you can always come back and use the “Make a One Time Donation” button! To use a full scholarship, just pick the $3 tier to cover site/processor fees.
If at any point up to 48 hours before your first class session you realize you will be unable to take the class, we will work with you to reallocate your funds to a future class, to another student’s scholarship, or refund it. After classes begin, we are only able to make partial refunds and adjustments.