As Fisher puts it, ‘Capitalism seamlessly occupies the horizons of the thinkable.’ (P. Capitalism has, in other words, in its ‘late’ or ‘neoliberal’ incarnation, not only colonised the physical world, but also the world of political possibility and the world of the imagination. It’s also one of a short number of books that I think I’ve given to multiple people as a gift (a list that also includes The Communist Manifesto, Mark Greif’s Against Everything, and Claire-Louise Bennett’s Pond).What is the argument of Capitalist Realism? Fisher starts with the now-iconic phrase (attributed to Fredric Jameson) that “it’s easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism”. It was the first book that a reading group of ex- and anti-PPEists I joined decided to read. Short (only 80-odd pages), well written, and full of cultural references, it was by far the most read cultural theory book of that time. Afterword by Tariq Goddard, the original editor and publisher, describing the writing and editing of the book, its original reception, and Mark's own view of it 'A quick and entertaining read.' Socialist Standard 'A provocative and necessary read.for anyone wanting to talk seriously about the politics of education today.Capitalist Realism by Mark Fisher, published in 2009, was one of the founding books of the Zero books imprint. Introduction by Alex Niven, his friend and colleague, talking about the political significance of the book thirteen years after it was written. New Edition includes: Forward by Zoe Fisher, Mark's wife, talking about Mark as a person. It is a sharp analysis of the post-ideological malaise that suggests that the economics and politics of free market neo-liberalism are givens rather than constructions. Using examples from politics, film (Children Of Men, Jason Bourne, Supernanny), fiction (Le Guin and Kafka), work and education, it argues that capitalist realism colors all areas of contemporary experience, is anything but realistic and asks how capitalism and its inconsistencies can be challenged.

The book analyses the development and principal features of this capitalist realism as a lived ideological framework. After 1989, capitalism has successfully presented itself as the only realistic political-economic system - a situation that the bank crisis of 2008, far from ending, actually compounded. It is easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism. Revised Edition, with a foreword by Zoe Fisher, introduction by Alex Niven, and afterword by Tariq Goddard

Capitalist realism zero books