Race, Nation, and Capital in the Modern World: The Nexus of Inequality

198 Pages·2023·5.792 MB·English

by  Philip Yale Nicholson

Race, Nation, and Capital in the Modern World invites us to reconsider the central
social and political forces that have shaped the Western world and beyond. Placing
nationalism and social inequality at the center of his story, Professor Nicholson
proves to be a reliable and refreshingly readable guide to understanding the strug-
gles and conficts of the past and the present. You will learn much from this history,
as I did.
–Steven Seidman, Sociology Department,
University at Albany – State University of New York
This is a clearly argued text with revelatory analysis about the historical interrela-
tionship between the forces that have shaped the modern world. This important
text demystifes the siloed approach to these issues and, instead, unearths the cohe-
sive connectivity of capital, nation and race in a way that is both informative and
engaging.
–Mohammad-Mahmoud Ould Mohamedou,
Professor of International History
and Politics, the Geneva Graduate Institute

RACE, NATION, AND CAPITAL IN
THE MODERN WORLD
Race, Nation, and Capital in the Modern World is a comprehensive yet concise book
that traces the history of racism, nationalism and capitalism from their combined
origins at the end of the ffteenth century to the present.
This book describes the development of legal codes and institutional practices
that brought vast wealth and power to their chief benefciaries, along with great
sufering, exploitation and destruction to its victims. Instead of understanding
racism as an aberration or dark faw in the troubled past of a world power like the
United States, this synthesis places race and racism in the forefront of the unfolding
history of nationalism and capitalism. The work de-emphasizes the uniqueness of
each nation’s particular experience by showing the interdependence of capitalist
and racist practices. The narrative follows the leading hegemonic national powers as
they expanded from mercantile conquests through plantation enslavement, massive
displacement of populations, colonialism, global warfare and fnally the tenacious
contemporary aftermath. There are no comparable surveys for undergraduates or
general readers seeking a unifed historical understanding of these primary drivers
of modernity. It is a provocative introductory guide and not a work of political
theory.
This volume will appeal to students, scholars and those interested in studies on
racism, race, capital, the history of inequality and human and civil rights.
Philip Yale Nicholson is a social historian. He is Professor Emeritus at Nassau
Community College. He was awarded the rank of State University of New York
Distinguished Professor in 2009. His publications include Who Do We Think We
Are? Race and Nation in the Modern World (1999) and Labor’s Story in the United States
(2003).

RACE, NATION, AND
CAPITAL IN THE
MODERN WORLD
The Nexus of Inequality
Philip Yale Nicholson
Designed cover image: Joseph Mallord William Turner: Slave Ship
(Slavers Throwing Overboard the Dead and Dying, Typhoon Coming On).
Artepics/Alamy Stock Photo
First published 2023
by Routledge
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2023 Philip Yale Nicholson
The right of Philip Yale Nicholson to be identifed as author of this work
has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identifcation and explanation
without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Nicholson, Philip Yale, 1940- author.
Title: Race, nation, and capital in the modern world : the nexus of inequality /
Philip Yale Nicholson.
Description: Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY :
Routledge, 2023. | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifers: LCCN 2022047375 (print) | LCCN 2022047376 (ebook) |
ISBN 9781032056258 (paperback) | ISBN 9781032052793 (hardback) |
ISBN 9781003198420 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Racism—History. | Nationalism—History.
Classifcation: LCC HT1507 .N53 2023 (print) | LCC HT1507 (ebook) |
DDC 305.8—dc23/eng/20221117
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022047375
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022047376
ISBN: 978-1-032-05279-3 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-05625-8 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-19842-0 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003198420
Typeset in Bembo
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
To my grandchildren: Hannah, Jake, Zoe, Mia, Joe and Sam

CONTENTS
Acknowledgments x
Introduction 1
1 Taking Shape: Race, State and Capital to 1600 10
2 Mercantile Capital, Racialized Agriculture: 1600–1713 31
3 Liberty, Law and Capital in the Peak Years of Slavery:
1713–1865 50
4 The Pressure Cooker of Race, Nation and Capital:
1865–1914 73
5 Furies Unleashed: 1914–1945 93
6 Cold War Double Standards: 1945–1991 115
7 Enduring Inequalities: 1991–2020s 137
Bibliography 159
Index 175