Karl Polanyi and the Global South

In this major reinterpretation of one of the greatest thinkers of the twentieth century, Geoff Goodwin draws on contemporary perspectives and issues emanating from the Global South in order to offer a new theory of the many possible paths through and beyond capitalism.

Written both for readers new to Karl Polanyi and for those already familiar with his work, the book organizes itself around key Polanyian concepts such as the double movement, fictitious commodities, and decommodification. In each case, the book re-thinks and extends Polanyi’s thought by drawing on more contemporary, Global-South-centered critiques of capitalism rooted in notions such as degrowth and decolonization. In exploring these ideas through case studies drawn primarily from Latin America and other parts of the Global South, Goodwin weaves a new theoretical framework that accounts for a wide range of pressing current issues, from food and housing to international trade and socioecological transformation.