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Assignment 04

I found Frederici’s “The Caliban and the Witch” fascinating for not only debunking the standard Marxist understanding of the transition to capitalism, but also for explaining the impact the elite and primitive accumulation on women and society as a whole. Frederici’s analysis explains that subjugating women was not simply a byproduct or collateral damage of a progression towards capitalism – but a necessity. While Marx made it clear that moving towards capitalism would, in a way, dehumanize the individual by putting focus and priority on work, he neglects to look at the specific victims of this and the impact that would have on society as a whole. Frederici makes it clear that certain demographics (women and minorities) suffered in worse conditions and were taken advantage of more than the average member of the proletariat.  Frederici’s claim is that women were considered the Caliban (from Shakespeare’s The Tempest) and witches.

In the Middle Ages, women were able to be somewhat self-sufficient in terms of wages and working conditions. But the dominant classes in society tried to maintain their dominance by subjugating women and essentially pushing them out of the labor market (Frederici sites witch-hunts as an almost manipulative move by the dominating powers to remove women from the work force or make them less desirable workers). While reading this, I found it shocking to think that hierarchal forces in society could create a conspiracy-like narrative that would force women to remain unpaid laborers in the home. It is devastating to see how removal of communal property and land impacted people’s ability to access work and food – ultimately forcing the working class to depend on the elite for working wages and food.

I have always wondered why it was so accepted that women should be housewives and assumed it was a product of motherhood. Frederici shows that witch-hunts, unfair imprisonment, social rejection for not having children or speaking out against sexual violence, the progression of the slave trade and more – were facilitated so that the elite could retain power. I understand why Frederici is against globalism and how skewed the potential benefits of a capitalist economic system really are. Those who have the means to accumulate property and assets can progress at the expense of the individuals beneath them.