Work

The second contradiction of capitalism

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: The second contradiction of capitalism (SCC) is a foundational thesis of ecological Marxism and other radical, green traditions. It is among the earliest and most productive attempts to integrate political ecology and political economy. It has been debated, celebrated, rejected, misunderstood, and expanded in various ways. It posits, in short, that capitalism tends to destroy its own foundation via its socioecological impacts and their economic and political repercussions. Whether capitalism can collapse under this second contradiction remains an open question. Yet the SCC continues to offer a fertile ground for the larger project of theorizing capitalism’s crises of socioecological reproduction.

Source: The Journal of Peasant Studies

DOI: 10.1080/03066150.2025.2451285

Author: Julien-François Gerber

Institutions: International Institute of Social Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam

Language: English

Topic: Political Economy and Marxism

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Funders: Harvard University, Heinrich Böll Stiftung, University of Oxford

OpenAlex ID: W4407063682

FWCI: 14.23

Cites: 37

Cited by: 8

Related to: 10