Is money racist? The political economy of inflation, finance and imperialist dispossession

This is a seminar for young people without university education to learn the basics of political economy, finance, and its relationship to racial discrimination. Participants learn about the fundamentals of political economy of finance, how to analyse basic data, as well as how to critique dominant economic structures and think about alternative economic organisations. For this, the seminar mixes presentation, short videos, participation, and guided group discussions. All methods are combined in each of the four segments: (i) political economy foundations; (ii) inflation; (iii) finance; (iv) imperialist dispossession. Each segment takes ca. 15 minutes.

Is money racist? Why is inflation biased? What is finance and how does it affect people around the world? This seminar introduces the basics of political economy analysis and finance to see how big issues impact our every day lives, and what some alternatives might be.

We will explore four connected topics. First, we will see how mainstream views on money and racism differ from a critical political economy perspective. Second, we discuss what inflation is and why it is not a single neutral number. Third, we unpack the basic functioning of finance and how its impacts our every day. Fourth, we explore how global flows of money have an uneven impact on people’s lives around the world.

Rather than simply learning economic theories, participants will investigate these questions themselves. We analyse simple data, watch short videos, discuss real-world examples, and work together in small groups. No previous knowledge of economics is required.

The seminar will also ask a bigger question: can our economy be organised differently? By the end, participants will have some basic tools for understanding economic news and everyday economic experiences, while developing their own ideas about how economic institutions could be changed.

Thabo Huntgeburth, PhD researcher. His work examines the political economy of institutions to explore the relationships between development, worker movements, and economic democracy.

Young people aged 14-17

Young people aged 14-17

By invitation only