The Social Life of Money Hardcover - 2014

From the rear cover

"Nigel Dodd is one of the leading experts on the sociology of money. His excellent new book is a tour de force through sociological, economic, and philosophical theories of money, rich in historical examples and informed by current controversies. Highly original and broad in scope, the book will be a landmark in the sociology of money and will help us to rethink how money is organized in society."--Jens Beckert, director of the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies

"As Bitcoin and other digital currencies revolutionize the twenty-first-century financial world, we urgently need a guide for understanding how money works. With brilliant insight and sparkling examples, Nigel Dodd's The Social Life of Money deciphers past, present, and future moneys. Bold and inspiring, the book will instruct social scientists and also captivate general readers."--Viviana A. Zelizer, author of The Social Meaning of Money

"In this brilliant and exuberant book the reader is treated to a veritable feast of theories of money. The author explores not only what economists have said on money but also literary authors, philosophers, and utopians. The result is a fantastic cornucopia of ideas, of a type rarely seen in social science. Read, enjoy, and let your head spin!"--Richard Swedberg, Cornell University

"Nigel Dodd takes us on a tour de force through the meanings and possibilities of money, compelling us to rethink everything we thought we knew about its origins, current operations, and potential for positive social transformations. The book is clearly written and animated by engaging anecdotes. I was hooked from the first page."--Frederick F. Wherry, Yale University

"Astonishing in its coverage, this is the most comprehensive book on money that I have encountered. Genuinely interdisciplinary and broadly accessible, it should appeal across the social sciences and humanities. The writing is of a very high standard--clear, always progressive in its movement, and often witty or ironic."--Keith Hart, London School of Economics

"In this book, Nigel Dodd, one of today's major sociologists of money, looks at the large debates and makes imaginative connections among some of the 'big picture' social lives of money. It compares broad worries about the corrosive aspects of money with the possibilities of its enormous productive power. If we ever needed a well-informed and accessible book on money like this one, it is now."--Jocelyn Pixley, Macquarie University, Sydney

Media reviews

Citations

• Choice, 02/01/2015, Page 1026
• Kirkus Reviews, 09/15/2014, Page 0