Foreigners In Their Own Land Global Capitalism refers to an economic system with

Foreigners In Their Own Land
Global Capitalism refers to an economic system with worldwide dominance that is based on the need to accumulate new profit and free labor for its own survival. Capitalism, according to UCSB Professor William I. Robinson, “was the first form of society to incorporate all other types [of economic systems] into a single social formation, giving rise to […] the ‘modern world system’ (2004: 3). Like all other economic systems, capitalism is known by its distinct mode of production. Whoever controls the mode of production (the method and means to produce goods) under capitalism, gets to keep the “profit.” Wage workers, however, are needed to produce goods in exchange for profit. It is said then, capitalism divides society into two classes: the capitalist class who keeps the profits and the majority working class who sells their free labor in exchange for a wage.
Capitalism is expansionary by nature, it constantly needs to expand into new markets to make a new profit (survival) as well as penetrate deeper into existing markets. Robinson continues, “In order to survive, capitalism requires constant access to new sources of cheap labor, land, raw materials (crops and minerals), and markets” (2004: 3). The accumulation of profit for capitalism to work wasn’t first achieved through markets and wages. Instead, it relied on colonialism and imperialism by Europe – along with forced labor by indigenous and African populations – for its initial expansion and accumulation (profit).
Primitive accumulation describes the process by which non-capitalist societies, such as feudalism and chattel slavery, are transformed into the capitalist mode of production. This process is not smooth at all and often full of violence, death, and destruction of native people and their lands. Through violence, colonizers make their first kind of profit (land, raw material, crops) that gives them the head start over the defeated population in the transition to capitalism. Explained differently, on one side the elites (capitalist class) are already possessed with land, raw material, and means of subsistence; and, on the other a larger group who have nothing to sell except their labor, their working arms, and brains (working class).
Profit by Dispossession refers to contemporary neoliberal policies that result in a centralization of wealth and power in the hands of a few by dispossessing the public. It is an example of ongoing imperialism and colonization. When a park or museum, for example, is sold by the government to a private person. Usually this means the land or building is no longer accessible by the public or the public must pay a fee (which goes into private hands) to enter the building or park. A retroactive case of the concept is the U.S. Mexico War where the U.S. took half of Mexican land to make trillions of dollars off of gold, other precious minerals, agriculture, cattle industries, and more. The concept best describes the behavior by the most wealthy and powerful to centralize control of land and national wealth through the creation of neoliberal capitalist policies aimed at dispossessing the public of land by putting it in the control of a few wealthy groups.
Hegemony is a critical concept widely used to understand the way power structures control society by controlling what counts as legitimate knowledge. In this way, at the same time we internalize the agreed upon knowledge we all give consent to the power structures that bind us. This situation creates a form of “status quo” that benefits in full the elite while the masses only benefit partially if at all. Enforcement of hegemony (maintain status quo) is either achieved by “force and coercion” or “consent.” In the case of hegemonic power, hegemony refers to the situation in which the masses are dominated by a small minority (the wealthy and ruling class) through cultural domination. In other words, the class interest of the wealthy few are sold to everyone else as beneficial to everyone else. The Master Narrative, for example, is a form of hegemony. Hegemony as a concept will be critically important moving forward.
Begin to think and think again
You have a mind; what’s it thinking?
Instructions: Write 100+ words on one (1) course concept above.*
Define what the concept means in your own words (3 pts).
Think of a useful description or example of the concept (4 pts).
Create your own reason that explains why this concept is significant to Ethnic Studies (3 pts).
Guidance: Follow the three (3) requirements above to receive maximum points. No other rules apply (citations, format, etc.). Base your response on what you already know, not the unit lecture. In other words, use your own knowledge to create knowledge about a concept: you can tie in your own personal experiences, stories, and examples. You can also use other concepts from this course to explain any aspect of your response.