Published
Apr 1, 2025Page count
240 pagesISBN
978-1529233858Dimensions
234 x 156 mmImprint
Bristol University PressPublished
Apr 1, 2025Page count
240 pagesISBN
978-1529233841Dimensions
234 x 156 mmImprint
Bristol University PressPublished
Apr 1, 2025Page count
240 pagesISBN
978-1529233865Dimensions
234 x 156 mmImprint
Bristol University PressPublished
Apr 1, 2025Page count
240 pagesISBN
978-1529233865Dimensions
234 x 156 mmImprint
Bristol University Press
Capitalism Reloaded
Available Open Access digitally under CC-BY-NC-ND license. In Capitalism Reloaded, Peter Bloom charts a pivotal shift from the well-known military-industrial complex to a new ‘Authoritarian-Financial Complex.’ Unlike its predecessor, which centred on armaments and defence, this emerging power structure fuses financial interests with advanced surveillance and digital control, turning social repression into a lucrative industry. Bloom introduces a ground breaking theory of ‘complex power,’ where control itself becomes a central driver of capitalism, shaping economies and societies. Bloom explores how this insatiable demand for security and profit extends beyond traditional authoritarian regimes, permeating everyday life and eroding democratic freedoms. This book challenges readers to confront the deep entanglements of modern capitalism before they solidify into a techno-authoritarian order.
“Bloom provides a provocative and insightful account of how financial, technological, and authoritarian processes combine to configure contemporary capitalism.” Paul Langley, Durham University
“Now, more than ever, critical analyses of capitalism and power structures are sorely needed. In this fascinating new book, Peter Bloom provides an unflinching and searching view on what has gone wrong, and what needs to happen to mount an effective fight against authoritarianism driven by vested interests. Highly recommended for all those who care about the state of the world.” Deborah Lupton, UNSW Sydney
“Bloom’s work contributes tremendously to quantified work debates with a new philosophy of authoritarian neoliberalism, where financialization now dominates subjectivity.” Phoebe Moore, University of Essex
Peter Bloom is Professor of Management at the University of Essex.
1. Capitalism Reloaded
2. Complexifying Power
3. The Rise of the Authoritarian-Financial Complex
4. Securitizing History
5. Growing Global Authoritarian Markets
6. Producing Precarity
7. Insatiable Control
8. Repressive Progress
9. Perpetual Crisis
10. Breaking Free from the Authoritarian-Financial Complex
