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Empire of Cotton
This episode reveals how the seemingly simple fiber of cotton became the engine of global capitalism, industrialization, and enduring inequality, weaving a brutal history into the fabric of our modern world.
“This episode reveals how the seemingly simple fiber of cotton became the engine of global capitalism, industrialization, and enduring inequality, weaving a brutal history into the fabric of our modern world.”
— Sven Beckert, Empire of Cotton
Global history, capitalism, colonialism, labor
If you've ever wondered how the everyday objects around you carry the weight of history, this episode will illuminate the brutal, foundational role of cotton in shaping our interconnected, unequal world, and this will help you see what to do next.
Sven Beckert, a Harvard historian, meticulously unearths the global story of cotton, revealing how its production and trade became the engine of modern capitalism and a blueprint for global power dynamics.