Sexual Politics of Capitalism

A sweeping and original chronicle of how gender and sexuality have been used to keep the powerful in power and the marginalized fighting for survival“New movements are alive and moving in the world. Human beings in struggle are changing sexualities and defying genocide. Hope stalks the heart. We have written this book for these new movements.” —from the introduction The Sexual Politics of Capitalism offers a groundbreaking examination of how the global elite has used gender, sexuality, and violence to perpetuate inequality and maintain control. Since the 1980s, class elites have widened the gap between the rich and poor, manipulating these intimate aspects of life to divide communities and weaken resistance. Anthropologist Nancy Lindisfarne and writer Jonathan Neale trace the devastating effects of these tactics, showing how issues of gender and sexuality have been weaponized to make inequality appear inevitable.Spanning the globe, Lindisfarne and Neale explore the front lines of this struggle, from mass incarceration of gender-variant people in the United States, to Black women’s battles for AIDS medication in South Africa, and the toxic masculinity of world leaders including Putin, Modi, Trump, and Netanyahu. Documenting personal accounts of resistance, the authors also draw connections between diverse movements—union women in Nicaragua, farmers’ widows in India, and bar workers in Vietnam—showing how global forces of capitalism exploit gender and sexuality to maintain power, and what is required to fight back.For readers of Guns, Germs and Steel, this radical work challenges us to confront the intimate and structural forces shaping our world and to join the fight for a more just and equitable future.