The Cost of Free Shipping
by Amazon in the Global Economy
Description
Amazon is the most powerful corporation on the planet and its CEO, Jeff Bezos, has become the richest person in history, and one of the few people to profit from a global pandemic. Its dominance has reshaped the global economy itself: we live in the age of 'Amazon Capitalism'.
'One-click' instant consumerism and its immense variety of products has made Amazon a worldwide household name, with over 60% of US households subscribing to Amazon Prime. In turn, these subscribers are surveilled by the corporation. Amazon is also one of the world's largest logistics companies, resulting in weakened unions and lowered labor standards. The company has also become the largest provider of cloud-computing services and home surveillance systems, not to mention the ubiquitous Alexa.
With cutting-edge analyses, this book looks at the many dark facets of the corporation, including automation, surveillance, tech work, workers' struggles, algorithmic challenges, the disruption of local democracy and much more. The Cost of Free Shipping shows how Amazon represents a fundamental shift in global capitalism that we should name, interrogate and be primed to resist.
Tags
More Information
Endorsements
'A must-read for scholars and activists alike. This stellar collection of essays documents exploitation and resistance at Amazon across the globe' - Carolina Bank Muñoz, Tow Professor of Sociology, City University of New York
'This important and timely book on Amazon's global empire is a must read for those who are concerned about economic inequality, massive public surveillance, and the threat to worker rights and democracy around the world' - Kent Wong, Director, UCLA Labor Center
'Drawing on deep and wide-ranging scholarship, this compelling collection provides heartening evidence of push-back by communities and organised labour against Amazon. Essential reading.' - Kirsty Newsome, Professor of Employment Relations, Sheffield University
'More than a book about Amazon. It is about the transition in global capitalism and its implications not only for Amazon's workforce, but on the global working class' - Bill Fletcher, Jr., editor, globalafricanworker.com, author, trade unionist
'This brilliant compilation of essays shows us how, like Walmart before it, Amazon has risen to global dominance through shrewd use of technology, data systems and supply chains, and also by skirting and breaking laws' - Professor Stephanie Luce, School of Labor and Urban Studies, CUNY
Author Biography
Jake Alimahomed-Wilson is Professor of Sociology at California State University, Long Beach. His research interests are in the areas of logistics, racism and labour, and workers' struggles. He is the author of Solidarity Forever? Race, Gender, and Unionism in the Ports of Southern California (Lexington Books, 2016), co-author of Getting the Goods: Ports, Labor, and the Logistics Revolution (Cornell University Press, 2008) and the editor of Choke Points (Pluto, 2018).
Ellen Reese is Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Riverside, and author of They Sat Cutback, We Say Fightback! and co-editor of Wages of Empire.
Pluto Press
View all titlesBibliographic Information
- Orginal LanguageEnglish
- ISBN/Identifier 9780745341484
- Pages320
- Publish StatusPublished
- Copyright Year2020
Pluto Press has chosen to review this offer before it proceeds.
You will receive an email update that will bring you back to complete the process.
You can also check the status in the My Offers area
Please wait while the payment is being prepared.
Do not close this window.