Capitalism at the Limit - by Ulrich Brand & Markus Wissen

Book Synopsis

Capitalism is hitting the buffers. Unable to handle the various crises that its inherent logic of growth, profit, and competition has produced, it has led the world into a state of emergency - with the authoritarian right on the rise globally and progressive forces unable to realize the transformations needed to secure the future prosperity of people and planet. �The old is dying and the new cannot be born�, Gramsci said. We are caught between forces agitating for fundamental change, Green Capitalist modernizers, and fierce defenders of the status quo. How did this happen, and what is to be done?

In this new book, Ulrich Brand and Markus Wissen, authors of the acclaimed The Imperial Mode of Living, trace how capitalism has reached its very limits. Alongside the mutually reinforcing environmental, geopolitical, and social crises we face, they analyse the struggles that will determine the fate of humanity. Critiquing dominant pathways - from Green Capitalism to authoritarian and anti-ecological policies - that reinforce the Global North�s imperial mode of living, the authors offer a fairer alternative based on solidarity and collective self-limitation. Capitalism at the Limit is a clear-sighted look at the dynamics driving the critical conflicts of our time.

Review Quotes

�Capitalism at the Limit is the unsurpassable continuation of the excellent The Imperial Mode of Living. A necessary, agile, and erudite book with a holistic vision of the crisis and its solutions.�
Maristella Svampa, sociologist and writer, Ecosocial Pact From the South, Argentina

�At a time when capitalism is trying to reinvent itself through �greening� and techno-market fixes to global ecological crises, a sharp critique of the sheer inadequacy of such approaches is urgently needed. In providing such an analysis, as well as a vision of solidarity-based alternatives for a just, sustainable planet, the authors do us a great service.�
Ashish Kothari, Kalpavriksh, Vikalp Sangam, and Global Tapestry of Alternatives

�A brilliantly written contemporary document, fuelled by extensive empirical and conceptual knowledge.�
Jean Ziegler, University of Geneva and former UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food

�Capitalism at the Limit offers much-needed clarity in this era of upheaval, showing how Green Capitalism and authoritarianism are defending an imperial mode of living. Brand and Wissen are sombre in their diagnosis, and yet every page is buoyed by their pursuit of openings for eco-social solidarity. The reader will leave better equipped to struggle for a more generous way of life.�
Cara New Daggett, Virginia Tech

�Building upon the path-breaking analysis of their The Imperial Mode of Living, and drawing from recent social movement initiatives in Germany and elsewhere, the authors offer an invaluable contribution to climate politics from below.�
Stefania Barca, author of Forces of Reproduction and Workers of the Earth

�Capitalism at the Limitis a fascinating and clear-eyed exploration of how fascism is rising out of the ashes of neoliberalism. A must-read for leftists everywhere.�
Grace Blakeley, author of Vulture Capitalism: Corporate Crimes, Backdoor Bailouts and the Death of Freedom

�This important book by Ulrich Brand and Markus Wissen sheds light on the conditions for overcoming the imperial mode of living in the Global North in solidarity and for the fight against war and fascism. It is an essential read for anyone who wants to work towards an emancipatory future.�
Kohei Saito, author of Marx in the Anthropocene and Slow Down

About the Author

Ulrich Brand is Professor of International Politics at the University of Vienna.

Markus Wissen is Professor of Social Sciences at the Berlin School of Economics and Law.