Money And Liberation: The Micropolitics Of Alternative Currency Movements
by Peter North /
2007 / English / PDF
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Is conventional money simply a discourse? Is it merely a
socially constructed unit of exchange? If money is not an
actual thing, are people then free to make collective
agreements to use other forms of currency that might work more
effectively for them? Proponents of “better money” argue that
they have created currencies that value people more than
profitability, ensuring that human needs are met with
reasonable costs and decent wages—and supporting local
economies that emphasize local sustainability. How did
proponents develop these new economies? Are their claims valid?
Is conventional money simply a discourse? Is it merely a
socially constructed unit of exchange? If money is not an
actual thing, are people then free to make collective
agreements to use other forms of currency that might work more
effectively for them? Proponents of “better money” argue that
they have created currencies that value people more than
profitability, ensuring that human needs are met with
reasonable costs and decent wages—and supporting local
economies that emphasize local sustainability. How did
proponents develop these new economies? Are their claims valid?
Grappling with these questions and more,
Grappling with these questions and more,Money and
Liberation
Money and
Liberation examines the experiences of groups who have
tried to build a more equitable world by inventing new forms of
money. Presenting in-depth profiles of the trading networks
that have been constructed both historically and more recently,
including Local Exchange Trading Schemes (England), Green
Dollars (New Zealand), Talente (Hungary), and the barter system
in Argentina, Peter North shows how the use of currency has
been redefined as part of political action, revealing
surprising political ambiguity and a nuanced understanding of
the potential and limits on alternative currencies as a
resistance practice.
examines the experiences of groups who have
tried to build a more equitable world by inventing new forms of
money. Presenting in-depth profiles of the trading networks
that have been constructed both historically and more recently,
including Local Exchange Trading Schemes (England), Green
Dollars (New Zealand), Talente (Hungary), and the barter system
in Argentina, Peter North shows how the use of currency has
been redefined as part of political action, revealing
surprising political ambiguity and a nuanced understanding of
the potential and limits on alternative currencies as a
resistance practice.
Peter North is lecturer in geography at the University of
Liverpool.
Peter North is lecturer in geography at the University of
Liverpool.