Field Notes
Editor’s Note
The Coup That Wasn’t
By Paul MattickOne might have thought that Trump’s departure from the White House would put an end to the constant worry—and not just on the part of left-leaning pundits—that he represented a rebirth of fascism.
Fault Line of the American Civil War
By Sandro MoisoIn the current political uncertainty and ideological chaos surrounding the question of Trump's departure from the White House, it is necessary to put our feet back on the ground and try to investigate the reasons for the ongoing conflict from a materialist point of view, beyond the personalisms and personalities (Trump vs. Biden) that seem so far to have dominated discussion in the US and, perhaps even more, in Italy and Europe.
The Longue Durée of Racialized Capitalism
By Satnam VirdeeIn his recent article for Field Notes,2 Charlie Post insists on the need to think racism and capitalism together but is keen to move the discussion “beyond racial capitalism” perspectives3 because of disagreements about the spatial and temporal origins of racism, and about the explanation those perspectives offer for the reproduction of racism in capitalist societies. While there is much to welcome in Post’s carefully-crafted account, there are four areas of disagreement to which I want to draw attention.
Railing Opinion
A Response to Satnam Virdee’s The Longue Durée of Racialized Capitalism
By Charlie PostA Reply to Satnam Virdee • We both seek to transcend the sterile debate between class reductionist and neo-liberal identitarian analyses of race and capitalism, where both sides share the notion that the relationship between capitalism and racism is “historically contingent,” rather than “structurally necessary.”
Curating Ridgewood
By Max MoorheadWhen Kermit Westergaard and his wife Azadeh moved to Ridgewood from Williamsburg, Brooklyn in the summer of 2007 it looked like any other working-class neighborhood in Queens. Westergaard, a native of the Upper East Side, saw an opportunity in Ridgewood for property ownership that was quickly diminishing in Williamsburg, East Williamsburg, and Bushwick.
Railing Opinion
A Response to Max Moorhead’s Curating Ridgewood
By Christina WilkinsonIn 2021 the emphasis is on unity, yet this obvious hit piece aims to unnecessarily create division.
Railing Opinion
A Response to Christina Wilkinson
By Max MoorheadThank you for taking the time and care to write such a detailed response to my article about Mr. Westergaard. Historical accuracy is of the utmost importance to me, and I value your perspective as a local historian.
The Money Theory of the State
By Jamie MerchantKafka’s unfinished final novel, The Castle, can be read as a parable about the misrecognition of power.
