A review by sarahpizzichemi
Caliban and the Witch: Women, the Body and Primitive Accumulation, by Silvia Federici
5.0
This is a remarkable deep dive into the history of the intersection of sexism, capitalism, land privatization, witch hunts, the mechanization of and control over the body of the proletariat in service to the bourgeoisie, and colonialism.
It was incredibly well cited with an extensive bibliography and reads a lot like a dense academic paper, but is surprisingly emotional and upsetting to read despite that due to the subject matter. It took awhile for me to read as I had to limit the amount of pages I could sit down and consume at once as it is difficult to process both intellectually and emotionally, but also well worth the effort.
I really wish I had known of this book and the overall research it stems from a lot sooner-it would have been really helpful during my dissertation preparation and study, and I feel like it expanded my knowledge and understanding of feminist history. I will definitely be keeping it on my bookshelf as a resource for future academic papers I may try to write; the bibliography alone is a fantastic resource.
Read for Bookclub: Folkways Reading Circle
It was incredibly well cited with an extensive bibliography and reads a lot like a dense academic paper, but is surprisingly emotional and upsetting to read despite that due to the subject matter. It took awhile for me to read as I had to limit the amount of pages I could sit down and consume at once as it is difficult to process both intellectually and emotionally, but also well worth the effort.
I really wish I had known of this book and the overall research it stems from a lot sooner-it would have been really helpful during my dissertation preparation and study, and I feel like it expanded my knowledge and understanding of feminist history. I will definitely be keeping it on my bookshelf as a resource for future academic papers I may try to write; the bibliography alone is a fantastic resource.
Read for Bookclub: Folkways Reading Circle