The a history of currency's power to enchant, control, and manipulate Kaufman, Frederick 1961- creator text bibliography nyu 2020 monographic eng

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285 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm. "Half fable, half manifesto, this brilliant new take on the ancient concept of cash lays bare its unparalleled capacity to empower, enchant, and control us. Frederick Kaufman tackles the complex history of money, beginning with the earliest myths and wrapping up with Wall Street's byzantine present-day doings. Along the way, he exposes a set of allegorical plots, stock characters, and stereotypical metaphors that have long been linked with money and commercial culture, from Melanesian trading rituals to the dogma of Medieval churchmen faced with global commerce, the rationales of Mercantilism and colonial expansion, and the U.S. dollar's 1971 unpinning from gold. The Money Plot offers a tool to see through the haze of modern banking and finance, demonstrating that the standard reasons given for economic inequality-the Neoliberal gospel of market forces-are, like dollars, euros, and yuan, contingent upon structures people have designed. It shines a light on the one percent's efforts to contain a money culture that benefits them within boundaries they themselves are increasingly setting. And Kaufman warns that if we cannot recognize what is going on, we run the risk of becoming pawns and shells ourselves, of becoming other people's money"-- Frederick Kaufman. Includes bibliographical references (pages 267-285). Money History Dinero Historia Banks and banking History Bancos y banca Historia Commerce History Comercio Historia Precious metals Metales preciosos Bitcoin Bitcoin (Moneda electrónica) HG 221 K21m 2020 332.4/9 Kaufman, Frederick, New York : Other Press, 2020. (DLC) 2020010463 9781590517185 (hardcover) 1590517180 (hardcover) 2020010462 DLC 200309 20241112132226.0 21463188 eng