Markets of Civilization

Reviews / Votes

"Markets of Civilization makes for a fascinating addition both to the literature on Algeria and also to the broader literature on racial formations and racialization. . . . Well worth the read."

- Marc Lynch (Marc Lynch) "Markets of Civilization is a much needed scholarly intervention into the connections between race, capital and economics, and enables us to think about racial capitalism outside of, but very much connected to, a Euro-American framework. An essential read for anyone interested in the story of capitalism as others experienced it." - Usman Butt (Middle East Monitor) "Davis's intervention brings our attention to an underappreciated historiographical domain of racial capitalism's inception, evolution and contestation (i.e., the late French empire). . . . Davis subtly adds the dimension of religion to a conversation that has been dominated by ethnic- and colour-based understandings of racial capitalism's historical origins and contemporary realities." - Jacob Mundy (Ethnic and Racial Studies) "Markets of Civilization makes a significant contribution to the field of Algerian history through its explication of the entanglements of racial, economic, and colonial imperatives. . . . I recommend the book to scholars and students interested in the study's widely-ranging themes, including racial capitalism in the Middle East, the connections between economic and intellectual histories, the enduring nature of colonial, racial thinking, and how post-independence Arab regimes negotiated and remade older colonial ideas and policies." - Sara Rahnama (International Journal of Middle East Studies) "A grounded and challenging effort to revive an older Third-Worldist scholarly tradition on Algeria. ... Davis's Markets of Civilization is a must-read for those interested in Algerian history, colonialism, and contemporary debates on Islam and Islamophobia, as well as scholars examining the twin social theories of race and political economy."

- Mohammed Salih (SAW Reviews) "Markets of Civilization combines skillful research with a creative revival of racial capitalism. It should be of great interest to scholars of French empire and the intersections of cultural and economic history." - Burleigh Hendrickson (L'Esprit Createur) "Davis's book fruitfully applies the framework of racial capitalism to illustrate how economic planning and development enduringly structured Arab and Muslim difference from white Christian Europeans." - Brooke Durham (H-Africa, H-Net Reviews)