Is Capitalism a Religion? Labor, Loss, and the Rise of “Ethical” Free Markets

Fair trade, microfinance, impact investing, social entrepreneurship, decolonized philanthropy: as the crisis of neoliberal order has multiplied in recent decades, so too have projects to represent global capitalism as a vehicle for feminist, anti-racist, and anti-colonial solidarities. What is the history of these projects? Whose interests do they serve? And, for critics of racialized economic violence and labor expropriation, how should we relate to shiny promises that “humanitarian” capitalism might still be achieved?

Critic, teacher, and writer Lucia Hulsether explores these questions and more in a talk based on research and writing from her recent book, Capitalist Humanitarianism (Duke University Press, 2023).