Thirteenth Global Studies Conference

Abstract

This paper will add to the growing discussion on the racialized nature of global capitalism. Departing from both Free Market views as well as more conventional Marxist and Neo-Marxist orientations, I make the theoretical case for understanding modern capitalism as a deeply racialized project. The paper draws on the work of critical legal theorists like Cheryl Harris and Nancy Leong and connects them to Bourdieu’s notions of symbolic capital to argue that racial identity functions as both an asset and a liability in the enactment of global capitalism. This dynamic takes particular turns in the transnational commercial spheres of today. I will illustrate some of this with discussions of contemporary capitalist manifestaions such as the new global assembly line and the rise of surrogate motherhood in India and Mexico.