Capitalist World-Economy, Globalization, and Violence

Abstract

During the past two decades, neoliberal economic policies have been enacted in many peripheral regions of the world. Neoliberalism promotes free trade, deregulation, privatization, and welfare reduction; however, it does not call for state rescission of social control and legal coercion. Global capitalism has asserted itself as the dominant force in modernity. It transcends the nationstate system. For example, the United States was the primary hegemon throughout much of the 20th century. Yet since the appearance of global capitalism, transnational corporations now dominate the world-economy. Wealth is heavily concentrated in the hands of an elite capitalist class. The resultant income inequality, coupled with increased state surveillance and formal control, increases structural violence throughout the periphery. The purpose of this article is to examine the structural inequalities in the Americas, while presenting possible solutions to the neoliberal crisis from a social justice perspective.

Mapping Coercive Violence

“…Finally, by demonstrating the violence that state systems, built on systems of oppression, can be deployed against individual actors, in this case by contributing to and perpetuating intimate partner violence, our argument advances our understanding of the ways in which systems of oppression, including heteropatriarchy, white supremacy, and modern capitalism are inherently violent as others have documented (Collins & Bilge, 2016;Combahee River Collective, 2015;Gillespie, 2006;Koepke, 2007). Additionally, we documented the ways in which coercive violence can and often does result in the experiences of civil and social death for the victims/survivors, the impacts of which can last a lifetime.…”