Bibliograph

The moral power of money, morality and economy in the life of urban poor, Ariel Wilkis

Type

Label

The moral power of money, morality and economy in the life of urban poor, Ariel Wilkis

Language

eng

Index

no index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

The moral power of money

Medium

electronic resource

Nature of contents

dictionaries

Responsibility statement

Ariel Wilkis

Series statement

Culture and economic life

Sub title

morality and economy in the life of urban poor

Summary

Looking beneath the surface of seemingly ordinary social interactions, The Moral Power of Money investigates the forces of power and morality at play, particularly among the poor. Drawing on fieldwork in a slum of Buenos Aires, Ariel Wilkis argues that money is a critical symbol used to negotiate not only material possessions, but also the political, economic, class, gender, and generational bonds between people. Through vivid accounts of the stark realities of life in Villa Olimpia, Wilkis highlights the interplay of money, morality, and power. Drawing out the theoretical implications of these stories, he proposes a new concept of moral capital based on different kinds, or "pieces," of money. Each chapter covers a different "piece"-money earned from the informal and illegal economies, money lent through family and market relations, money donated with conditional cash transfers, political money that binds politicians and their supporters, sacrificed money offered to the church, and safeguarded money used to support people facing hardships. This book builds an original theory of the moral sociology of money, providing the tools for understanding the role money plays in social life today

Target audience

adult

Classification