ABSTRACT
Debt: The First 5,000 Years has become a “must-read” in international activist circles. Public intellectuals like Antonio Negri, the Italian Marxist sociologist and political philosopher, have cited Debt in their activist writings and calls for action. David Graeber’s has had some success in challenging policymakers through Debt. The chief research economist of the International Monetary Fund reached out to Graeber to discuss potential avenues for banking reform. Graeber points out that even within the US Federal Reserve, the central bank of the United States, a growing number of people advocate debt relief in the form of mortgage cancellation. According to Graeber, there are “titanic struggles” occurring between those who want radical change and those who do not, but the lack of any progress boils down to inertia. While fundamental change may not occur, there is an increasing amount of sympathy for debt relief in the European debt crisis.
