 1st edition Japanese cover | |
| Author | Kohei Saito |
|---|---|
| Original title | 人新世の「資本論」 |
| Translator | Brian Bergstrom |
| Language | Japanese |
| Subject | Economics |
| Publisher | Shueisha |
Publication date | September 17, 2020 |
| Publication place | Japan |
Published in English | January 9, 2024 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 375 |
| Awards | Best Asian Books of the Year (2021) |
| ISBN | 978-4087211351 |
| LC Class | PT2428.M47 S35 2020 |
Capital in the Anthropocene (Japanese:人新世の「資本論」,romanized: Hitoshinsei no "Shihonron")[1] is a 2020non-fiction book by Japanese academicKohei Saito. Drawing from writings on ecology and natural science byKarl Marx, the book presents aMarxist argument fordegrowth as a means of mitigatingclimate change.Capital in the Anthropocene was an unexpected commercial success in Japan, selling over half a million copies.
Kohei Saito is anassociate professor of philosophy at theUniversity of Tokyo.[2] He writes on ecology and political economy from aMarxist perspective, attributing the2008 financial crisis, theclimate crisis, and theFukushima nuclear disaster as influencing his orientation towards a Marxist interpretation of politics. These events prompted him to consider why "in such an affluent society, there are so many people living in poverty, without access to medical care, and unable to make ends meet," and that despite living in an outwardly convenient and prosperous society, "many people feel that there are no good prospects for the future".[3]
Capital in the Anthropocene draws from Marx's unpublished notebooks on ecological research written late in his life, particularly his writing onnatural science and themetabolic rift.[4][5] In these writings, Marx argues that capitalism has created an "irreparable rift in the interdependent process ofsocial metabolism"[4] and examines self-governing agricultural communes that existed in pre-capitalist societies.[5] From this foundation, Saito mounts an argument fordegrowth based on Marx's conclusions.[4]
Saito argues that whilesustainable growth has become a central organizing principle in global responses to climate change, the expectation of perpetual growth has only exacerbated the climate crisis.[6][7] He is particularly critical of theSustainable Development Goals (SDGs), describing them as "the newopium of the masses" in regards to what he believes is the impossibility for the goals to be achieved under a capitalist system.[6][8] Instead, Saito advocates fordegrowth, which he conceives as the slowing of economic activity through the democratic reform of labor and production.[4][7]
In practical terms, Saito's conception of degrowth involves the end ofmass production andmass consumption,decarbonization through shorter working hours, and the prioritization of essential labor such as caregiving.[6] The author argues that capitalism createsartificial scarcity by pursuing profit based oncommodity value rather than the usefulness of what is produced, citing the privatization of thecommons for purposes ofcapital accumulation as an example. Saito argues that by returning the commons to a system ofsocial ownership, it is possible to restore abundance and focus on economic activities that are essential for human life.[4]
Capital in the Anthropocene was published byShueisha on September 17, 2020.[9] In 2021, a Korean translation was published under the title지속 불가능 자본주의 (lit. 'Unsustainable Capitalism').[10]Marx in the Anthropocene: Towards the Idea of Degrowth Communism, an English-language book that builds on the material published inCapital in the Anthropocene, was published byCambridge University Press in 2023.[11] An English translation was published under the titleSlow Down: The Degrowth Manifesto by Astra House in 2024.[12]
Capital in the Anthropocene was awarded the 2021 New Book Award byChuokoron-Shinsha,[13][14] and was selected as one of the "Best Asian Books of the Year" at the Asia Book Awards in 2021.[2]
The book was an unexpected mainstream commercial success in Japan,[5][6] selling over a quarter million copies by May 2021[13] and over a half million copies by September 2022.[6] Saito attributes the book's success to its popularity among young people and its coincidental release during theCOVID-19 pandemic, stating the widening of thewealth gap that occurred as a result of theCOVID-19 recession increased the visibility of social andeconomic inequality while revealing "how destructive a capitalist society based on excessive production and consumption can be."[3]
The success ofCapital in the Anthropocene has been credited with provoking a renewed interest in Marxist thought in Japan, with bookstores reporting an increase in sales in books about Marxism[3][8] and Saito appearing onNHK's television series100 Pun de Meicho to present a four-part introduction to Marx'sCapital.[6][8]