Patriarchy and Accumulation On A World Scale Women in the International Division of Labour

This now classic book traces the social origins of the sexual division of labor. It gives a history of the related processes of colonization and "housewifization" and extends this analysis to the contemporary new international division of labor and the role that women have to play as the cheapest producers and consumers. First published in 1986, it was hailed as a major paradigm shift for feminist theory. Eleven years on, Maria Mies' theory of capitalist patriarchy has become even more relevant; this new edition includes a substantial new introduction in which she both applies her theory to the new globalized world and answers her critics.

Maria Mies is Professor of Sociology at the Fachhoschschule in Cologne, Germany.

Introduction to the New Edition * What is Feminism? * Social Origins of the Sexual Division of Labour * Colonization and Housewifization * Housewifization International: Women and the International Division of Labour * Violence against Women and the Ongoing Primitive Accumulation of Capital * National Liberation and Women's Liberation * Towards a Feminist Perspective of a New Society