U.S. Capitalism Beyond the New History of Capitalism

Abstract

The ninth issue of USAbroad illuminates new perspectives on the history of U.S. capitalism with the goal of going beyond the framework of the New History of Capitalism. Taken together, the articles suggest that U.S. capitalism, whether in the mid-19^th or in the late 20^th century cannot be understood solely through the expansion of markets or the retreat of the state but must be approached as a historically situated configuration of institutions, ideas and conflicts whose coherence was never given in advance. Rather than approaching capitalism as a coherent system or as a fully articulated project, the essays examine concrete moments in which its legitimacy, rules, and modes of intervention were being contested and renegotiated.