Against the Grain

Capitalist Paradises

Utopias aren’t unique to the left. The right has labored in myriad ways for a world without fetters on private property. In one striking case, a character called Michael Oliver, with a motley group of associates ranging from English lords to soldiers of fortune, successively attempted to set up a capitalist paradise in the South Pacific and Caribbean. Historian Raymond Craib discusses Oliver and his contemporary techno-utopian equivalents, dreaming up floating cities on the high seas and other private enclaves made possible by authoritarian power.

Resources:

Raymond Craib, Adventure Capitalism: A History of Libertarian Exit, from the Era of Decolonization to the Digital Age PM Press/Spectre, 2022

Playlist

Artist Song Album Label
BiggabushIlu Baje (Sick State)Biggabush Presents Lightning Head: 13 Faces of Lightning HeadMERLIN - Tru Thoughts
Dhamaal SoundsystemR/evolutionDhamaal SoundsystemDhamaal SF - Surya Vault Records
LakesideIt's All the Way LiveShot of LoveUNIDISC MUSIC INC.
Gene HarrisLosalamitoslatinfunklovesongKANDYTOWN LIFE presents "Good Old Soul - Love and New Note"UMG - Universal Music LLC