Thoughts on Cannibal Capitalism by Flóra Leiszter

Cannibal Capitalism, a book by American philosopher and political scientist Nancy Fraser, is a powerful critique of capitalism. It shows how the current system is consuming the planet, the system of democracy, and, alongside these, its very self. The following piece is not a detailed review or book recommendation (although you should read it, because it really is an amazing book), but rather a potential starting point for a discussion or debate that could extend across multiple issues of this newspaper. It is also a topic and a position that I personally find easy to relate to and feel strongly connected to.

Capitalism today operates on four background conditions, all of which the system appropriates. Neoliberalism, firstly, exploits nature and its resources; secondly, it dispossesses the work of groups of people pushed to the periphery; and thirdly, it exploits and drains political systems and parties for its own advancement. It banished women’s social reproductive work to the private sphere long ago (even though creating future workers, which undoubtedly takes place within the context of this area, is an essential element of the system’s survival). Thus, fourthly, capitalism essentially takes the time, energy, and money that (typically) women provide for their families at home as free, unpaid labor. The cannibalism of the system stems from the fact that it now consumes these fundamentally necessary background conditions without replenishing them. To quote Fraser, “capitalism devours its own sustainers”.

Illustration by Kiyo

We can see the results of this process in the crises of the capitalist world – for example, in climate change, racism, and the care crisis. Naturally, the average European (and a lot of UCU-ers) can also feel these effects firsthand, whether in the concrete example of the growing number of people who are forced to take out unfair and exploitative mortgages, or in the fact that even social groups that had previously not been affected by such problems are now equally facing them.

According to Nancy Fraser, the solution would be to recognize that, no matter how much capitalism may appear to be an unchangeable world order, it’s in fact nothing more than a temporary social form that those living within it are very much capable of shaping. She believes (and I think most of us would agree with this idea) that in an ideal twenty-first century, everyone’s basic needs should be guaranteed, be it food, housing, clothing, healthcare, or other necessities. She argues that we should decide together as a community on how much to produce during a given period, and then, through collective discussion, determine what to do with the surplus.

There are already attempts to implement something similar in certain countries. What I am especially proud of is that in my hometown, in Budapest, the municipality developed a participatory budgeting system, in which we, the locals, can decide every year what to spend a given part of the city’s budget on. Residents can propose ideas to improve their district’s everyday life, ranging from things like more bike parking spots to greener areas or new pedestrian crossings. It’s an amazing way to involve locals in decisions that will directly affect them. After all, who does a city belong to if not to its residents? Of course, such systems can function ideally within smaller communities: for example, such a budgeting system could be most successfully maintained at the municipal level.

Ultimately, I can safely say that I would gladly live in a world where, instead of senseless and endless material growth, people’s quality of life improved and their free time increased, which everyone could use for whatever they wish, be it nurturing social relationships, just resting, or pursuing cultural and intellectual interests.