Capitalism’s Dark Complexion

Has capitalism always partnered with race?

This book examines how capitalism operates through racialised structures across different moments in global history. Moving beyond conventional class-based analyses, the book deepens our understanding of capitalism’s effects by exploring how race has been used to value, control and exploit populations.

From slavery and colonial dispossession to global divisions of labour, sex tourism and consumerism, Prasad offers a vital critique of how capitalism not only damages those it devalues but also shapes the way we all live—and the condition of the planet itself.