S9 Ep. 9: Sven Beckert on the Global History of Capitalism

Pulitzer Prize finalist Sven Beckert joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about his new book, Capitalism: A Global History. Beckert describes capitalism as an ongoing process comparable in significance to geological forces; he examines the way it shapes our interactions with the world and notes its presence in every aspect of daily life. He recounts how it has been influenced and defined for the past thousand years by people all over the world, ranging from merchants to CEOs to rebels resisting enslavement. He unpacks capitalism’s devastating global effects as well as its role in technological innovation and revolution. He explains that capitalism is a product of not only cities, but also the countryside. Finally, he addresses the idea that capitalism breeds inequality and argues for more nuance in understanding it as a human-made order that can be changed. He reads from Capitalism.

To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/

This podcast is produced by V.V. Ganeshananthan, Whitney Terrell, MaryClaire Dunagan, Emani Guerin, and Sarah Feldmann.

Sven Beckert

• Capitalism: A Global History
• Empire of Cotton: A Global History
• American Capitalism: New Histories
• Global History, Globally: Research and Practice Around the World
• The American Bourgeoisie: Distinction and Identity in the Nineteenth Century
• The Monied Metropolis: New York City and the Consolidation of the American Bourgeoisie, 1850-1896

Others:

• Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon
• Capitalism named one of 100 NYT Notable Books for 2025

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