What we have not always seen is what the separation from the land and nature has meant for our body, which has been pauperized and stripped of the powers that pre-capitalist populations attributed to it. Generally, we stress the economic aspect of this process, the economic dependence capitalism has created on monetary relations, and its role in the formation of a wage proletariat. …Capitalism was born from the separation of people from the land and its first task was to make work independent of the seasons and to lengthen the workday beyond the limits of our endurance. One of capitalism’s main social tasks from its beginning to the present has been the transformation of our energies and corporeal powers into labor-powers. Your questions, insights, and comments will help others reading this book as well, and they’ll help me, too. Also, please note: because the length of the essays I’m writing for this first book are quite long, I’ve divided them up and have slightly changed the publishing schedule.ġ1 March: Preface and Introduction (one essay)ġ2 March: Chapter One ( All The World Needs A Jolt )ġ8 March: Chapter Two ( The Accumulation of Labor and the Degradation of WomenĢ5 March: Chapter Three ( The Great Caliban )ġ April: Chapter Four ( The Great Witch-Hunt in Europe)Ĩ April: Chapter Five (Colonization and Christianity )Īlso, please consider commenting after reading this essay and others in the series. I’ve created a new section on From The Forests of Arduinna specifically for essays that are part of our book club readings.

This is the first of a series of essays written for an open book club on Silvia Federici’s profound book, Caliban & The Witch: Women, the Body and Primitive Accumulation.

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