From slavery to e-waste: How capitalism has always been racial

Celebrating its 100th anniversary this February, Black History Month is a fitting moment to remind ourselves that capitalism’s disreputable trajectory has been and continues to be a deeply racialised one. At its core, capitalism functions by assigning value to nature, objects and people. And race has systematically played a powerful role in this valuation process.

While whiteness has invariably been held in high esteem and therefore retains considerable value, bodies of colour have historically been devalued while simultaneously remaining crucial to capitalism’s survival and expansion.

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