Global Capitalism from an Anthropological Perspective Order Instructions: 1. How anthropologists understand and explain the issue.
2. Discuss how the anthropological perspective aids in understanding the issue.
Global Capitalism from an Anthropological Perspective Sample Answer
Global Capitalism from an anthropological perspective
Throughout my study in the University, I concentrated much into carrying out research about the global and local business. Capitalism has remained to be the most crucial and central part of all the business activities in the whole world.
Due to its huge impact towards business, capitalism has remained to be a center of scrutiny among many researchers and philosophers around the world. There are those great thinkers who have publicly discredited capitalism, and still a good percentage of people accredit capitalism. However, anthropologists have always written and put up front their justification toward capitalism ideals, hence the focus of this discussion.
Capitalism is a term with varied meanings and is a times used to define the common social life systems that we all live in. Believed to have been in existence for quite a long period now, people have given numerous definitions of capitalism depending on the understanding of each. It can be said that capitalism is the social system that is now spread to all countries. The system spells that private individuals rather than the government or the public own all production and distribution of goods. Few people who own production plants, transport vessels, and other wealth are commonly referred to as capitalists (Fernand, 1979). This means that any economy where industry and trade processes are under the control of private corporations, with the intention of accruing profits practices capitalism. In an economy of this kind, capitalists have the authority to decide the price at which to exchange their goods and services.
All Western countries apply capitalism as their economic system where all the productions and other key sectors remain under private ownership. According to the findings and research carried out by anthropologists, this type of system greatly opposes the socialist economy (Serge, 1996). Consumerism is the force that is pushing capitalism into success because it has given the masses a chance to benefit from their personal consumption as compared to capitalist profits.
This article is a presentation of details on the distribution of wealth and incomes in the United States, and it explains these distributions as indicators of power. I know some information that this proposal will reveal on the concentration of wealth distribution not known to many will be a surprise (Germain, 2000). Authority and power are as a result of wealth and economical influence. The capitalist who own the profit making projects and activities instead of the state remain to be the most powerful individuals. The power that capitalists have enables them to influence various facets of the society including social, economic, and political systems of a country. The powers that capitalist posses have in recent times been experienced after Obama proposals to adopt a progressive tax system where those will large incomes are taxed more. The criticism came from political leaders from different major political parties, hence a clear indication of the how power influences. Nevertheless, the government can still reduce the costs of living by increasing the minimum amounts of wages and salaries of lowest paid workers. Global capitalism is one of the reasons why workers at lower level earn low pay (Serge, 1996). Bigger corporations and individuals have the opportunity to exploit workers across the world. It has become easy to export labour force form other counties where their minimum salaries are low. These workers use their skills, knowledge, and experience to increase production for the owners of the means of production. Therefore, it is on this premise, that it becomes important to have policies and laws to avoid exploitation orchestrated by global capitalist.
Anthropologist pegs their definition and understanding of global capitalism on the cultural, social, personal, and historical factors. The concept of global capitalism is understood from the historical trends of doing business. Society keeps on changing as people adopt new styles of living and carrying on with their daily activities (Department of Anthropology, 2014). Nowadays, the space of doing business has expanded across borders. Those that own the means of production have devised ways to reach potential customers across the world to accrue huge profits and amass wealth. Capitalism is therefore, a free market, having few rich people that own the means of production with many that render their services at low wages. Those that benefits from this relationship are the owners. Therefore, anthropologist perspective on globalism capitalism provides an insights and understanding of evolution ad functionality of global capitalists.
Anthropologists understand and explain the issue of global capitalism through various ways with most explanations being based on the foundational work of Marx, Engels, and Lewis Morgan among many other philosophers (Richard, 2007). Some of the ways anthropologists explains and understand the concept of global capitalism is through analysis of various aspects including, organization of social relations, physical reality of people, examination of the human nature of continuous praxis and lastly through investigating the importance of historical context of development (Department of Anthropology, 2014).
Society has evolved to its modern globalised status. The transformation has been experienced as the society has moved from primitivism to civilization. According to the Marxists version, this transformation has gone though different stages including, primitivism, communism, feudalism, capitalism and to communism. These stages have continued to evolve up to the current stage known as global capitalism where, across the globe, there exist capitalists.
To explain and enhance understanding of the concept of global capitalism these anthropologists also use modes of production as well exemplify in the stages of development that form the base of a society. Production modes determines structures such as governments, laws, political apparatus and other legal bodies, and as well determines the ideologies such as religions and philosophies held by people at different period of time (Frieden, 2007). Example of this is the class struggle that served to advance these stages. As changes do occur, changes realign and this causes people to employ different strategies. For instance, ruling class always have vested interest and they will resist any change that appears to threaten their power. Therefore, the ruling class continues to use ideologies that lead to false consciousness of those at the lower cadre of the society. Such strategies therefore, have contributed to increase capitalized across the globes.
Anthropologist perspectives certainly help or aids in understanding the issue of global capitalism in many ways. One way it aids in understanding the issue is through explanation of what capitalism is. Capitalist is something that has existed for long period of time and it continues to revolve. People are self-centered and therefore, they work hard to accrue more profits. In most cases, they exploit those under them also those that work for them to accrue huge profits and retain their material wealth (Frieden, 2007). This trend is therefore, understood through appreciating the stages of development.
Furthermore, it is important to understand and appreciate that through politics and decision-making processes, policies and procedures are created that contributed to the global capitalism. Therefore, through anthropologist perspectives which interrogate historical developments, it helps to understand the issue deeper. People and even corporations make decisions every time and it is evident that, global capitalism is a product of these decisions (Haslett, 2000). People that have the financial power as well as leadership power have contributed to global capitalism. They make decisions, sign agreements to trade and through such programs, those that owns the means of production continue advancing their selfish interests across the world in expense of many or majority that earn little. Therefore, it is evident, that anthropologists have been able to provide clarification and precise information concerning global capitalist and how it is advanced in the society.
The leaders in society have the power and therefore can influence others very easily. They can do this through mystification of ideologies. Most of leaders that employ this strategy are interested in preserving their status quo. They are resistant to change and will remain defensive, especially in the circumstances that they feel threatens their position or status (Marcus, 2005). This is what is experienced in many of the counties across the world. The gap between the have and have-nots is wide and this has caused many negative social implications. For instance, poor leadership is advanced by ascension to power by people that are wealthy and this enables them to amass power.
Cultures and way of live is always changing as anthropologists do argue. This is not something that has begun today, but is something that has been there since time immemorial and is going to be experienced. Changes happen in all facets of ours society including, economic, social and political systems. Therefore, global capitalism can as well be understood as one or part of the changes that do occur in society (Barry, 1999). The changes in people lifestyle, changes in the technologies and ways of doing business have contributed to global capitalism. People actually, do learn from sharing information and emulating what others do. Those that accumulate wealth, use the same to influence others.
As I conclude, it is apparent that indeed anthropologist perspective on global capitalism is valuable to enhancing understanding of the issue. Global capitalism has come a long way; as it can be understood through closer look at historical events and the changes in social paradigms among others. Across the globe, capitalism has gained root as few wealthy people continues to own means of production and to command authority to poor majority. Capitalist are interested in making profit caring less about the minor households that earn less.
Global Capitalism from an Anthropological Perspective Reference list
Barry, S, 1999, Resisting McDonaldization, Sage: London.
Department of Anthropology, 2014, ‘Anthropological theories a guide prepared by students for students’, Available at: http://anthropology.ua.edu/cultures/cultures.php?culture=Marxist%20Anthropology
Germain, R, 2000, Globalisation and its Critics, MacMillan: Basingstoke.
Haslett, M 2000, Marxist Literary and Cultural Theories. New York; St. Martin’s Press.
Fernand, B, 1979, The Wheels of Commerce: Civilization and Capitalism 15th-18th Century, Harper and Row.
Fletcher, J, 2004, Capitalism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford.
Frieden, J, 2007, Global Capitalism: Its Fall and Rise in the Twentieth Century. W. W. Norton & Company; New Ed edition
Marcus, A 2005, ‘The Culture of Poverty Revisited: Bringing Back the Working Class’, Anthropologica, vol. 47 no. 1, pp. 35-52.
Richard, RH, 2007, Global problems and the culture of capitalism, Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Print.
Serge, L, 1996, The Westernization of the World, Polity: Cambridge.
