Inequality is not just about the size of our wallets. It is a socio-cultural order which, for most of us, reduces our capabilities to function as human beings, our health, our dignity, our sense of self, as well as our resources to act and participate in the world. This book shows that inequality is literally a killing field, with millions of people dying premature deaths because of it. These lethal effects of inequality operate not only in the poor world, but also, and increasingly, in rich countries, as Therborn demonstrates with data ranging from the US, the UK, Finland and elsewhere. Even when they survive inequality, millions of human lives are stunted by the humiliations and degradations of inequality linked to gender, race and ethnicity, and class.
But this book is about experiences of equalization too, highlighting moments and processes of equalization in different parts of the world - from India and other parts of Asia, from the Americas, as well as from Europe. South Africa illustrates the toughest challenges. The killing fields of inequality can be avoided: this book shows how.
Clear, succinct, wide-ranging in scope and empirical in its approach, this timely book by one of the world’s leading social scientists will appeal to a wide readership.
About the Author
Göran Therborn is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the University of Cambridge and author of The World: A Beginner’s Guide.
Features
This book provides a timely and up-to-date analysis of global inequality in its many different forms
Therborn shows that inequality kills: millions of people around the world die premature deaths because of it
The lethal effects of inequality are apparent not only in poor developing countries but also in the rich countries of the West
Therborn argues that inequality is not just about money: it’s also human dignity, as human lives are stunted by the humiliations and degradations of inequality
The book is carefully documented with empirical data from both developed and developing countries
This book will be essential reading for students of sociology and politics and it will appeal to a wide general readership
