This book analyzes contemporary critiques of political economy and highlights the challenges to rethinking contemporary discourses and practices. It carries out a multipronged critical and transformative dialogue involving political economy, moral economy, moral sociology, moral anthropology, and spiritual ecology. The authors discuss diverse themes such as the relationship between consciousness and society, the dialogue between Karl Marx and Carl Gustav Jung, a critical sociology of morality and property relations, moral and political economy of the Indigenous peoples and a critique of modern civilization, economic evaluation, as well as alternative traditions of thinking in Marx, Thoreau, Gandhi, J.C. Kumarappa, Rammanohar Lohia, B.R. Ambedkar and Jayaprakash Narain. A unique transdisciplinary text, the book brings together authors and approaches from both the Global North and South. It will be indispensable to students, research scholars and teachers of humanities and social sciences in such fields as economics, sociology, philosophy, cultural studies and development studies.
"Political economy was central to the revolutionary capitalist thinkers, Marx's more revolutionary critique, and Gandhi's revolutionary moral and spiritual critique. Ananta Kumar Giri has assembled a remarkable collection of diverse, wide-ranging, multi-disciplinary essays that restore the centrality of critiques of political economy. These essays most significantly challenge us to rethink our understanding of our contemporary world and of our potential for creating a flourishing planetary future."
Professor Douglas Allen, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, The University of Maine, USA
"A critique is both an appreciation, a stretching, and a transcendence. Here is a critique of the critique. The volume is a treasure trove, which imbricates and complicates political economy through moral, humanist, ethical, indigenous, psychological, ecological, and spiritual aspects of life. The gift is that of rethinking and unthinking approaches to society and the opening of intellectual gestures towards planetary futures."
Professor Sabelo J. Ndlovu-Gatsheni, Professor/Chair in Epistemologies of the Global South, University of Bayreuth
"Contemporary Contributions to Critiques of Political Economy honours the Club of Rome's tradition of thinking through the "human problématique" and fostering diverse perspectives to understand the complexity of today's world and possible alternative futures. This book is a valuable multi-disciplinary, geographically diverse set of contributions unpacking rooted barriers to the re-design of the current political economy. The compound effects of the poly crisis and the calls for a deep transformation of our extractive economy to match the planetary emergency require a complete re-set of our vision of relevant political economies for 21st c challenges. This pioneering work helps us in this epochal task of re-envisioning and transformative action."
Sandrine Dixson-Decleve, Co-President, The Club of Rome.
"This collection of contemporary essays is an outstanding contribution to the critique of capitalism, bringing together - for the first time - the Marxian critique of political economy, moral economy, and ecological spirituality."
Michael Löwy, ecosocialist philosopher
Professor Douglas Allen, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, The University of Maine, USA
"A critique is both an appreciation, a stretching, and a transcendence. Here is a critique of the critique. The volume is a treasure trove, which imbricates and complicates political economy through moral, humanist, ethical, indigenous, psychological, ecological, and spiritual aspects of life. The gift is that of rethinking and unthinking approaches to society and the opening of intellectual gestures towards planetary futures."
Professor Sabelo J. Ndlovu-Gatsheni, Professor/Chair in Epistemologies of the Global South, University of Bayreuth
"Contemporary Contributions to Critiques of Political Economy honours the Club of Rome's tradition of thinking through the "human problématique" and fostering diverse perspectives to understand the complexity of today's world and possible alternative futures. This book is a valuable multi-disciplinary, geographically diverse set of contributions unpacking rooted barriers to the re-design of the current political economy. The compound effects of the poly crisis and the calls for a deep transformation of our extractive economy to match the planetary emergency require a complete re-set of our vision of relevant political economies for 21st c challenges. This pioneering work helps us in this epochal task of re-envisioning and transformative action."
Sandrine Dixson-Decleve, Co-President, The Club of Rome.
"This collection of contemporary essays is an outstanding contribution to the critique of capitalism, bringing together - for the first time - the Marxian critique of political economy, moral economy, and ecological spirituality."
Michael Löwy, ecosocialist philosopher