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The Myth of Endless Accumulation: A Feminist Inquiry Into Globalization, Growth, and Social Change

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2011, Ph.D., Antioch University, Leadership and Change.
This theoretical dissertation examines the concept of growth and its core assumption—that the continual accumulation of wealth is both socially wise and ecologically sustainable. The study challenges and offers alternatives to the myth of endless accumulation, suggesting new directions for leadership and social change. The central question posed in this inquiry: Can we craft a more ethical form of capitalism? To answer this question, the study examines conventional and critical globalization studies; feminist scholarship on standpoint, political economy, and power; and the Enlightenment notions of progress and modernism, drawing on a number of works, including Aristotle on the three intelligences, Thomas Aquinas on human need and value, and Karl Marx on capitalism. From this broad disciplinary and historical perspective, a compelling narrative emerges, one that describes how the idea of growth has intersected with power and privilege to create an overarching global imperative that threatens the viability of our species and planet. The closing sections explore potential responses to that threat, introducing consciousness, wisdom, and caring to our understanding of growth, and emphasizing the importance of relational practice to effect real social and institutional change. The electronic version of this dissertation is at OhioLINK ETD Center (www.ohiolink.edu/etd).
Carolyn Kenny, PhD (Committee Chair)
Philomena Essed, PhD (Committee Member)
Amanda Sinclair, PhD (Committee Member)
Valentine Moghadam, PhD (Other)
240 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Miser, M. F. (2011). The Myth of Endless Accumulation: A Feminist Inquiry Into Globalization, Growth, and Social Change [Doctoral dissertation, Antioch University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1317997334

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Miser, Martha. The Myth of Endless Accumulation: A Feminist Inquiry Into Globalization, Growth, and Social Change. 2011. Antioch University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1317997334.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Miser, Martha. "The Myth of Endless Accumulation: A Feminist Inquiry Into Globalization, Growth, and Social Change." Doctoral dissertation, Antioch University, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1317997334

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)