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Rethinking Transitions: Where Is the "Universality" of Capitalism Located?
Language: English
Global capitalism has given rise to various problems for decades, which includes increasing social inequalities, broken social solidarities, environmental destruction and climate change, and so forth. One of causes for these problems can be derived from the crisis of capitalism such as the dysfunction of capital accumulation. Some scholars also assert that these phenomena should show the end of capitalism is now approaching, and they are designing the model of coming post-capitalism: solidarity economy, shared economy, community-based economy, and the like.
However, the debate on post-capitalism is lacking in examining how capitalism will end and post-capitalism will rise. In retrospect, capitalism was born, based on some conditions and overcoming many constraints, through transitions from former systems, and it can now appear to be “universal” or “omnipotent” in the world. Why can capitalism on earth obtain such “universality”? What are the causes of such “universality”? The origin of such “universality” should be considered again through examining various transitions, while the model of post-capitalism is elaborated.
This session addresses various transitions to capitalism and from capitalism, and seeks out conditions and mechanisms for the “universality” of capitalism. The supposed topics will include followings―various transitions from pre-capitalist societies to capitalist ones in advanced or developing countries, transitions from socialist or communist societies to capitalist ones, the model of post-capitalism and its conditionality, and so on. The perspective can also be local, national or global, and empirical or historical, while theoretical consideration is better to be added.