Inaugural lecture Pepijn Brandon
Last month, Professor of Global Economic and Social History Pepijn Brandon held his inaugural lecture at VU Amsterdam about how large-scale violence has played an extremely important role in the history of capitalism.
Indeed, dispossession, war and slavery have often served as kick-starters for capitalist development. Karl Marx called this process an "original" or "primitive accumulation."
Many have drawn the conclusion that large-scale violence is merely a historical precedent of "real" capitalism, operating through nonviolent markets and competition. With violent catastrophes all around us, Brandon explained why "original accumulation" is not only the starting point, but also the result of capitalist development.
You can find a video registration of the lecture here.
