Devika Dutt & David Adler in conversation with Michael Hudson

The David Graeber Institute is pleased to host Devika Dutt and David Adler in conversation with Michael Hudson. Join us on Friday 2 May for a discussion focusing on debt and its implications for Global South.

When we dig into the history of debt, what emerges is not a story of honor or integrity, but one of violence, slavery, and war. As David Graeber argued, the world’s great empires were built on debt — with creditors’ moral claims upheld by the threat of force. Far from the Global South owing a "debt" to the North, Graeber showed that justice demands we recognize the debt the North owes to the South. His work challenged the power structures that sustain global inequality, calling instead for solidarity, mutual aid, and the freedom for all people to imagine and build fairer worlds.

A crucial influence on Graeber’s thinking was the internationally renowned economist Michael Hudson. Hudson’s pioneering research into the history of debt, finance, and imperialism laid the groundwork for Graeber’s landmark Debt: The First 5,000 Years. His studies of ancient debt systems revealed how debt has long been wielded as a tool of domination — insights that Graeber expanded through an anthropological lens to illuminate the roots of today’s global exploitation.

Join us as leading economists continue this urgent conversation, examining debt’s enduring role in shaping the global order — and what it will take to dismantle it.

Each episode will feature Michael Hudson in conversation with thinkers, activists, and economists. Together, we will explore:

How the legacies of imperialism and debt continue to shape the world order

What true economic sovereignty for the Global South could look like

Practical strategies for rethinking value, debt, and care in a changing world

Tune in LIVE from 12 noon (NYC) / 5pm (London) for this episode featuring Michael Hudson in conversation with economist Jayati Gosh & David Adler from Progressive International.

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