Debt: David Graeber - 2011

Debt: The First 5,000 Yearswas written by an American anthropologist, anarchist, and sociopolitical activist David Graeber.

Graeber urges you to forget one of the very first things that economic textbooks taught you. The common belief that money was created to replace complex bartering systems. The conventional wisdom that has been passed on by generations of economists is finally uncovered and reversed.

The book is an anthropological investigation of debt throughout history, debt as a phenomenon, and the repercussions it can bring.

“As it turns out, we don't "all" have to pay our debts. Only some of us do.”

The political implications of debt are presented with debates and mutinies centered on debt and debt forgiveness. From China to Italy, many disputes have arisen from debt. Our ideas of right and wrong are challenged as Graeber urges us to see the accountability of our actions, or decisions not to take action.

Debt: The First 5,000 Years is an eye-opening revelation of a little-known piece of history, on a matter that plays a huge part in our everyday lives. Much more than just historical, the book collates various disciplines from anthropology to finance, and religion to psychology in a thought-provoking analysis with strong parallels for the present day.