
Against Money
University of Chicago Press
Published on 5. May 2026
Book
Hardback
352 pages
978-0-226-84253-0 (ISBN)
Description
A powerful deconstruction of humanity's most influential invention, from the acclaimed economists J. W. Mason and Arjun Jayadev.
Money is everywhere in our daily lives. It lurks in the swipe of a card at the grocery store, in looming student-loan debts, in the prices of things we want, and in our subconscious navigation of the modern world. Money is an invisible convenience that saves us, as a society, the hassle of bartering for goods and services-a reflection, in our pockets and on our phones, of the hard facts of scarcity and desire. Or is it something more?
In this revelatory book, economists J. W. Mason and Arjun Jayadev explain how and why money is so deeply misunderstood by the world it dominates-as well as the dangerous social implications of this misunderstanding. Against Money tackles the most dearly held "truths" of economics, arguing that the world of money has never been an impartial representation of the world of things. Instead, its existence in different forms-debt, capital, liquidity, and interest-increasingly shapes events in the real world rather than just reflecting them. Sometimes money enables new forms of cooperation; more oftenit facilitates domination. Human existence is not just facilitated by money but also governed by it.
In the tradition of works by Thomas Piketty and David Graeber, Against Money is an erudite, disruptive expose of the illusions and tyrannies of money. Mason and Jayadev present a radically different way of thinking about money-imagining a hopeful future in which it no longer dictates the possibilities of our collective existence.
Money is everywhere in our daily lives. It lurks in the swipe of a card at the grocery store, in looming student-loan debts, in the prices of things we want, and in our subconscious navigation of the modern world. Money is an invisible convenience that saves us, as a society, the hassle of bartering for goods and services-a reflection, in our pockets and on our phones, of the hard facts of scarcity and desire. Or is it something more?
In this revelatory book, economists J. W. Mason and Arjun Jayadev explain how and why money is so deeply misunderstood by the world it dominates-as well as the dangerous social implications of this misunderstanding. Against Money tackles the most dearly held "truths" of economics, arguing that the world of money has never been an impartial representation of the world of things. Instead, its existence in different forms-debt, capital, liquidity, and interest-increasingly shapes events in the real world rather than just reflecting them. Sometimes money enables new forms of cooperation; more oftenit facilitates domination. Human existence is not just facilitated by money but also governed by it.
In the tradition of works by Thomas Piketty and David Graeber, Against Money is an erudite, disruptive expose of the illusions and tyrannies of money. Mason and Jayadev present a radically different way of thinking about money-imagining a hopeful future in which it no longer dictates the possibilities of our collective existence.
Reviews / Votes
"Against Money is an astounding achievement-a work of economic theory and history that revels in controversy and clarity. Jayadev and Mason have written the best work of its kind in decades." * Zachary D. Carter, author of The Price of Peace * "Money is a collective hallucination. Reading Against Money is like suddenly waking up and realizing you've been lying in a tank of fluid with electrodes stuck in your spine." * Daniel Davies, author of Lying for Money * "Most people have internalized very primitive concepts about the social function of money. Against Money will blow some minds." * Ryan Cooper, editor of American Prospect * "Against Money is a challenge to our traditional capitalist views of the world. Money is not everything, nor can money possibly engulf everything. As Mason and Jayadev brilliantly put it, 'when the logic of markets is extended to institutions that sustain them, markets themselves break down.' A must-read for all who seek a world beyond capitalism." * Katharina Pistor, author of The Code of Capital * "Money, we are told, is neutral-a mere veil over the 'real' economy. Against Money challenges this foundational myth." * Mark Blyth, author of Austerity: The History of a Dangerous Idea *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Chicago
United States
Publishing group
The University of Chicago Press
Illustrations
1 halftones
Dimensions
Height: 238 mm
Width: 164 mm
Thickness: 30 mm
Weight
598 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-226-84253-0 (9780226842530)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
J. W. Mason is associate professor of economics at John Jay College, City University of New York. He is also a fellow at the Groundwork Collective.
Arjun Jayadev is professor of economics and director of the Centre for the Study of the Indian Economy at Azim Premji University in India.
Arjun Jayadev is professor of economics and director of the Centre for the Study of the Indian Economy at Azim Premji University in India.