The publication of Thomas Piketty’s Capital in the Twenty First Century sparked a dynamic conversation in the academy and in the public sphere about inequality in the global arena. A Graduate Center event, at which Joseph Stiglitz and Paul Krugman, Nobel laureate economists, discussed Piketty’s presentation was reported in the New York Times. Numerous reviews of Piketty’s argument, from the left and the right have been have appeared online and in the print media. In this seminar faculty and advanced students from CUNY and elsewhere will read Piketty’s work in detail, focusing on the implications of his work for theorizing the anthropology of inequality. Visiting speakers will present analyses from their perspectives. The issues raised by Piketty are being discussed internationally and the presence of several of the major participants at CUNY or ARC, make this a particularly opportune moment to host a rigorous yearlong examination of Piketty’s work and the arguments surrounding it.

Faculty Coordinators: Ida Susser, Leith Mullings, Jeff Maskovsky,

All faculty are welcome. Please email Ida Susser if you are interested in participating or if you would like to recommend students to the seminar: susseris@gmail.com

Students will only register for the Spring Semester but will be expected to attend for the year, mostly on alternate Fridays. We encourage second year and upper level doctoral students as well as returning students who participated in last year’s seminar to attend, but please contact us if you are interested: Ida Susser susseris@gmail.com