Capitalism has been a controversial concept. In the second half of the 20th century, many historians have either not used the concept at all, or only in passing. Many regarded the term as too broad, holistic and vague or too value-loaded, ideological and polemic. This volume brings together leading scholars to explore why the term has recently experienced a comeback and assess how useful the term can be in application to social and economic history. The contributors discuss whether and how the history of capitalism enables us to ask new questions, further explore unexhausted sources and discover new connections between previously unrelated phenomena. The chapters address case studies drawn from around the world, giving attention to Europe, Africa and beyond. This is a timely reassessment of a crucial concept, which will be of great interest to scholars and students of economic history.

"Leading scholars explore the resurgence of interest in the term capitalism and debates the term's usefulness and its limits in social and economic history"--

We cannot understand our world and its past without questioning capitalism. With no preconceptions, and with the greatest clarity and skill, leading world historians come together in this volume to produce a new global history of capitalism. Key topics such as finance, labour, business and enterprise in Europe, the USA, Africa, Asia and Latin America - and the connections between them - are carefully presented. A must-read!