The Economic Crisis and American Society

by Manuel Castells

Taking a hard look at the crisis afflicting Western economies in recent years, Manuel Castells suggests that the very structures that fostered economic growth since 1945 are the same structures that are now undermining these economics. Pinpointing the new forms of the capitalist mode of production and the contradictory nature of its class relations as the root of the problem, he offers a comprehensive critique of American society and its economy.

Originally published in 1980.

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304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Manuel Castells is Professor of Communication and the Wallis Annenberg Chair in Communication Technology and Society at the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Southern California, as well as Professor Emeritus of Sociology and Planning at the University of California, Berkeley, Research Professor at the Open University of Catalonia, and Marvin and Joanne Grossman Distinguished Visiting Professor of Technology and Society at MIT. He is the author of, among other books, the three-volume work The Information Age: Economy, Society, and Culture.

Reviews

[Christy Hammer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Castells finishes a political economy of including the U.S. workplace and argues that there will always be those jobs held in trust, those dirtiest, most dangerous, and least paid, for women and people of color. Over 35 years later, is this still true? More true, according to labor demographics of race and gender from the 2010 Census.