David Graeber Institute

"The Labour Party under Starmer will abandon its core idealism and principles and it won't even gain tactical advantage. It will be a party which gives no one a reason to vote for it, and nobody will, in fact, vote for it." . - David Graeber

David Graeber made a warning about Keir Starmer in 2020. They did not listen

"The Labour Party under Starmer will abandon its core idealism and principles and it won't even gain tactical advantage. It will be a party which gives no one a reason to vote for it, and nobody will, in fact, vote for it." . - David Graeber

David Graeber made a warning about Keir Starmer in 2020. They did not listen

Marina Sitrin will be replacing Debbie Bookchin to talk about the Kurdish Freedom Movement and Colonial Histories.

Stream starting soon: www.youtube.com/live/zGK033P...

Prof Steve Keen on the importance of producing food locally.

Kathleen Tyson on how the Dollar ($) is losing primacy and losing hegemony across the world.

We need to stop measuring the economy by how wealthy the top 1% are doing or by how much the stock market has increased.

Instead we need to start measuring a country’s success by its standard of living, its access to healthcare/education and its the levels of homelessness/poverty.

“We have become a civilization based on work in itself. We have come to believe that men and women who do not work harder than they wish at jobs they do not particularly enjoy are bad people unworthy of love, care, or assistance from their communities. It’s as if we’ve collectively acquiesced to our own enslavement.”

From his book, Bullshit Jobs: A Theory (2018)

David Graeber on the benefits of Corporation Tax.

“We have become a civilization based on work in itself. We have come to believe that men and women who do not work harder than they wish at jobs they do not particularly enjoy are bad people unworthy of love, care, or assistance from their communities. It’s as if we’ve collectively acquiesced to our own enslavement.”

From his book, Bullshit Jobs: A Theory (2018)

"Today's fight by the Global South and the BRICS is about trying to protect themselves from American Neo-Feudalism - the attempt to turn the world economy into a tributary system."

- Michael Hudson

"Today's fight by the Global South and the BRICS is about trying to protect themselves from American Neo-Feudalism - the attempt to turn the world economy into a tributary system."

- Michael Hudson

Michael Hudson explains how Trump's awfulness motivates countries to produce their own food and have other policies that move them away from Neo-liberalism.

Debbie Bookchin, the daughter of Murray Bookchin will talk about colonization, Rojava and resistance in the Kurdish Freedom Movement. With Ozlem Goner and Arthur Pye in conversation. Debbie Bookchin: Beyond the Nation-State:

On Thursday, we will be having a livestream with Debbie Bookchin, on Rojava and about the Kurdish Freedom Movement.

Ozlem Goner and Arthur Pye will join in conversation.

youtu.be/zGK033PjasY

Our stream on Youtube is starting now!!!

With Michael Hudson (ask your questions to him in the chat).

youtu.be/g8mCRMEUM1E

📢Join us Feb 26 for 'Beyond The Nation-State', a panel discussion on colonization, resistance, and the Kurdish freedom movement, hosted by @davidgraeberinst.bsky.social:

davidgraeber.institute/colonial-his...

World hunger isn’t caused by a lack of food. We already produce more than enough to feed everyone. ------------------------------------------------------- Hunger exists because capitalism blocks distribution and manufactures artificial scarcity. The ruling class could end it overnight. They won’t.

We're so brainwashed by capitalism to only think of growth and "more" that we never consider when we have enough or are doing enough. Questioning the growth imperative and cultivating a sense of enoughness can be deeply freeing and helps engender a mindset focused on solidarity and care.

Capitalism itself—industrial capitalism at least—has had a very brief historical run. During a mere 200 years, it has nonetheless shown a remarkable ability to come up with threats to the very existence of the species: first nuclear destruction, now global climate change. There are good reasons to believe it is simply not a viable long-term system: most obviously, because it is premised on the need for continual growth, and economic growth cannot continue forever on a planet with finite resources. Capitalism that was not based on the need to continually expand production would simply not be capitalism; its fundamental dynamics would change; it'd become something else. Whatever economic system predominates in 50 years, it is very likely to be something other than capitalism. Of course, that something might be even worse. This is why it seems this is precisely the wrong time to give up on imagining alternatives to capitalism: that is, to come up with ideas for what might actually be better. — David Graeber

This is why we need to be talking about Capitalism.

Discussing it, debating it, writing about it & thinking about the topic!

Capitalism itself—industrial capitalism at least—has had a very brief historical run. During a mere 200 years, it has nonetheless shown a remarkable ability to come up with threats to the very existence of the species: first nuclear destruction, now global climate change. There are good reasons to believe it is simply not a viable long-term system: most obviously, because it is premised on the need for continual growth, and economic growth cannot continue forever on a planet with finite resources. Capitalism that was not based on the need to continually expand production would simply not be capitalism; its fundamental dynamics would change; it'd become something else. Whatever economic system predominates in 50 years, it is very likely to be something other than capitalism. Of course, that something might be even worse. This is why it seems this is precisely the wrong time to give up on imagining alternatives to capitalism: that is, to come up with ideas for what might actually be better. — David Graeber

This is why we need to be talking about Capitalism.

Discussing it, debating it, writing about it & thinking about the topic!

"As Orwell noted, a population busy working, even at completely useless occupations, doesn't have time to do much else. At the very least, this is further incentive not to do anything about the situation." . - David Graeber

The Bullshit Jobs phenomenon exists for a reason (well many reasons).

Bullshit jobs exist to keep us busy, not to further any economic goal

"As Orwell noted, a population busy working, even at completely useless occupations, doesn't have time to do much else. At the very least, this is further incentive not to do anything about the situation." . - David Graeber

The Bullshit Jobs phenomenon exists for a reason (well many reasons).

“Since one cannot know a radically better world
is not possible, are we not betraying everyone by
insisting on continuing to justify, and reproduce,
the mess we have today? And anyway, even if
we’re wrong, we might well get a lot closer.”

- David Graeber

“Since one cannot know a radically better world
is not possible, are we not betraying everyone by
insisting on continuing to justify, and reproduce,
the mess we have today? And anyway, even if
we’re wrong, we might well get a lot closer.”

- David Graeber

“The ultimate hidden truth of the world is that it is something that we make, and could just as easily make differently,”

Today is David Graeber's birthday. He'd have been 65 years old today.

His ideas are still here and his message is more important than ever before which must remind us that a better world is possible.

“The ultimate hidden truth of the world is that it is something that we make, and could just as easily make differently,”

Today is David Graeber's birthday. He'd have been 65 years old today.

His ideas are still here and his message is more important than ever before which must remind us that a better world is possible.

"One of the things that we have discovered, which is quite interesting, is that human beings have a psychological need to be cared for, but they have an even greater psychological need to care for others, or to care for something. . If you don’t have that you basically fall apart. It’s why old people get dogs. We don’t just care for each other because we need to maintain each other’s lives and freedoms, but our own psychological happiness is based on being able to care for something or someone." . - David Graber

Interesting quote from David Graeber.

"One of the things that we have discovered, which is quite interesting, is that human beings have a psychological need to be cared for, but they have an even greater psychological need to care for others, or to care for something. . If you don’t have that you basically fall apart. It’s why old people get dogs. We don’t just care for each other because we need to maintain each other’s lives and freedoms, but our own psychological happiness is based on being able to care for something or someone." . - David Graber

Interesting quote from David Graeber.

Michael Hudson & Kathleen Tyson - Sanctions, "accelerating globalization," YouTube video by Institute of David Graeber

Friday 20th February, there will be a livestream on our Youtube page with Michael Hudson and Kathleen Tyson.

They'll discuss Sanctions, Accelerating Globalization and the effects on the Global South.

www.youtube.com/live/g8mCRME...

Exactly right. I was laid off in February 2025 and stopped requesting unemployment benefits after just a few months because the system was mainly punitive, exhausting to manage, and wasted time I could have spent looking for work. Still don’t have full-time work.