by Silvia Federici
Autonomedia
2004, paperback
SKU: 9781570270598
Caliban and the Witch is a history of the body in the transition to capitalism. Moving from the peasant revolts of the late Middle Ages to the witch-hunts and the rise of mechanical philosophy, Federici investigates the capitalist rationalization of social reproduction. She shows how the battle against the rebel body and the conflict between body and mind are essential conditions for the development of labor power and self-ownership, two central principles of modern social organization.
Reviews:
"It is both a passionate work of memory recovered and a hammer of humanity's agenda." -- Peter Linebaugh, author of The London Hanged and Stop,Thief!
About the Author:
Silvia Federici is a feminist writer, teacher, and militant. In 1972 she was co-founder of the International Feminist Collective that launched the Wages for Housework campaign. Her books include Caliban and the Witch, Patriarchy of the Wage and Witches, Witch-Hunting, and Women. She is a professor emerita at Hofstra University, where she taught in the social sciences. She worked as a teacher in Nigeria for many years and was also the co-founder of the Committee for Academic Freedom in Africa.