The anthropologist who turned 'bullshit jobs' into a global phenomenon
He was an academic in exile, a leading figure of Occupy Wall Street, and the man who coined the term 'bullshit jobs.' David Graeber didn't just study culture; he challenged the very foundations of modern work, debt, and social hierarchy.
David Graeber (1961–2020) was a transformative figure in social and political anthropology. While his early career focused on the complexities of value and social hierarchy—including extensive ethnographic research in the Betafo District of Madagascar—his later work moved toward a biting critique of contemporary capitalism. He became a household name through his exploration of 'bullshit jobs,' a term he used to describe employment so unnecessary or pointless that even the employees cannot justify its existence.
Graeber's life was marked by significant institutional friction. After serving as an assistant professor at Yale University, the university decided not to renew his contract in 2005. While Yale cited standard tenure policies, supporters argued the move was politically motivated due to his activism. This led to a period of 'academic exile' in England, where he held positions at Goldsmiths' College and the London School of Economics. During this time, he became a central figure in the global justice movement, famously helping to popularize the 'We are the 99%' slogan during the 2011 Occupy Wall Street movement.
His bibliography reflects a vast intellectual scope, ranging from the historical relationship between debt and social institutions in 'Debt: The First 5,000 Years' (2011) to critiques of bureaucratic 'managerial feudalism' in 'The Utopia of Excludes' (2015). Despite criticisms from economic historians regarding specific data points, his work achieved massive public reach, with 'Bullshit Jobs' (2018) becoming a bestseller and prompting widespread debate about the proliferation of administrative bloat in the West.
Source: David Graeber
