Question

According to Mignolo(2011), what are the two radical economic and epistemological shifts that enabled the rise of capitalism? Discuss how they intersect with slavery and racism.

Answer 1

[AI-generated answer — Bot GPT 3.5]

According to Mignolo (2011), the two radical economic and epistemological shifts that enabled the rise of capitalism were the emergence of merchant capitalism and the development of the idea of modernity. Merchant capitalism involved the expansion of trade networks and the accumulation of wealth through commerce, while modernity was characterized by rationality, individualism, and the pursuit of progress.

These shifts intersected with slavery and racism in several ways. The expansion of trade networks and the accumulation of wealth in merchant capitalism were often achieved through the exploitation of enslaved labor. Slavery provided a cheap and abundant source of labor for plantations and other industries, allowing merchants to accumulate vast amounts of wealth. The idea of modernity, with its emphasis on rationality and progress, was used to justify the enslavement of Africans and Indigenous peoples, as they were deemed inferior and in need of civilization.

Furthermore, racism played a crucial role in justifying and maintaining the system of slavery. The belief in the superiority of white Europeans over other races served to justify the enslavement of non-white peoples and the extraction of their labor for the benefit of capitalist ventures. The intersection of these economic and epistemological shifts with slavery and racism helped to shape the foundations of capitalist society and continue to impact the global economy and social structures to this day.