To mark the publication of Arnaud Orain‘s new book, Le Monde Confisqué, Essai sur le Capitalisme de la Finitude (XVIe-XXIe siècle), the World Inequality Lab invites you to an Equality Debate, on Monday 16 June 2025 at 12.30pm, at Paris School of Economics. The event will be in French.
Programme
- 12.30-13.00: Presentation by Arnaud Orain
- 13.00-13.10: Reactions from Thomas Piketty/Lucas Chancel, co-directors of the WIL
- 13.10-13.30: Q&A with the public
- 13.30: Book sale and signing sessions
Summary
The neoliberal utopia of continuous global growth in wealth is now behind us. But this does not mean that capitalism is dead. Its current form is neither genuinely new nor totally unfamiliar, as it is typical of all ages in which the anguishing feeling of a “finite”, bounded and limited world that needs to be grabbed in a hurry dominates. This capitalism is characterised by the privatisation and militarisation of the seas, a monopolistic and rentier “trade” that is exercised within territorial empires, and the appropriation of physical and cyber spaces by gigantic private companies with sovereign prerogatives that dictate their own rhythms. In this essay, Arnaud Orain reveals this “capitalism of finitude” and sheds light on its mechanisms in the three periods in which it flourished: XVIᵉ – XVIIIᵉ century, 1880-1945, 2010 to the present day.
Arnaud Orain, an economist and historian, is director of studies at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS, Centre de Recherches Historiques). He is the author of numerous books, including Les savoirs perdus de l’économie. Contribution à l’équilibre du vivant (Gallimard 2023).
Practical information
📅 Monday 16 June, 12.30-13.30 (Paris time)
📍 Amphithéâtre Daniel Cohen, Paris School of Economics, 48 Boulevard Jourdan, Paris 14
🎙️ The event will be held in French.
📝 To register, click here.
This event is part of the Equality Debates, a cycle of meetings organised by the World Inequality Lab around a recently published book or work in the social sciences, which allow authors and the public to exchange views. To receive invitations, click here.
