David Graeber: podcast appearances and interviews

David Graeber was an American anthropologist and activist recognized for his contributions to social and economic anthropology as well as his engagement in social justice movements. Born in New York City to a working-class family, he studied at Purchase College and the University of Chicago, where he earned his doctorate in 1996 after conducting ethnographic research in Madagascar. Graeber held academic positions at Yale University until 2005, when his contract was not renewed, leading to his move to the United Kingdom. There, he served as a lecturer and reader at Goldsmiths' College and later as a professor at the London School of Economics. His scholarly work covered a range of topics including theories of value, social hierarchy, and the ethnography of Madagascar. He gained prominence with the publication of Debt: The First 5000 Years in 2011, a comprehensive analysis of the historical role of debt in social institutions, and authored several other influential books including The Utopia of Rules, Bullshit Jobs, and The Dawn of Everything. Graeber was also well known for criticizing bureaucracy and managerialism in capitalism. His activism was rooted in radical left politics, with involvement in the 1990s global justice movement, protests against the 3rd Summit of the Americas, and the World Economic Forum. As a leading figure in the Occupy Wall Street movement, he helped popularize the slogan