Karl Polanyi's The Great Transformation is generallyacclaimed as being among the most influential works of economichistory in the twentieth century, and remains as vital in thecurrent historical conjuncture as it was in his own. In itscritique of nineteenth-century "market fundamentalism" it reads asa warning to our own neoliberal age, and is widely touted as aprophetic guidebook for those who aspire to understand the causesand dynamics of global economic turbulence at the end of the 2000s.Karl Polanyi: The Limits of the Market is the firstcomprehensive introduction to Polanyi's ideas and legacy. Itassesses not only the texts for which he is famous - preparedduring his spells in American academia - but also hisjournalistic articles written in his first exile in Vienna, andlectures and pamphlets from his second exile, in Britain. Itprovides a detailed critical analysis of The GreatTransformation, but also surveys Polanyi's seminalwritings in economic anthropology, the economic history of ancientand archaic societies, and political and economic theory. Itsprimary source base includes interviews with Polanyi's daughter,Kari Polanyi-Levitt, as well as the entire compass of his ownpublished and unpublished writings in English and German.This engaging and accessible introduction to Polanyi's thinkingwill appeal to students and scholars across the social sciences,providing a refreshing perspective on the roots of our currenteconomic crisis.
