Just Debt

.".. We [have] come to have a delimited and skewed view on debt and its economy ... In this book, I argue, a more holistic social ethics of debt is established by reintegrating these two essential elements of debt: logic and story. From the perspective of a more holistic ethics of debt, neoliberal concept of debt is problematic because by neglecting the story aspect of debt, it has enervated the moral ethos of debt rendering it as a matter of mere contract and mechanical calculation"--Introduction.

Explores debt as a central historical component of religion, literature, and societal structure, while examining the idea of humanity's debt to the natural world.

As the majority of Canadians are now spending much more than they make, their debt levels are reaching crisis proportions. Excluding mortgage debt, the average Canadian owes over $25,000 in consumer debt, which poses massive risks not only for the individuals carrying that financial load, but for our entire financial system. In Crushing Debt, bestselling author David Trahair (Enough Bull) warns Canadians that consumer debt is becoming an urgent problem but one that can be solved. Trahair clearly outlines the evils of debt and how easy it is for debt to spiral out of control with examples of real-life stories of debt disasters. If you are a Canadian who is already struggling with debt, Crushing Debt will motivate you to face your financial problems and will show you step-by-step the most appropriate solution to getting out of your personal debt hell. Filled with proven advice, Crushing Debt is a call to action on an urgent and debilitating problem for far too many Canadians.

A Finalist for the 2019 Kirkus Prize in Nonfiction "Nayeri combines her own experience with those of refugees she meets as an adult, telling their stories with tenderness and reverence.” —The New York Times Book Review "Nayeri weaves her empowering personal story with those of the ‘feared swarms’ . . . Her family’s escape from Isfahan to Oklahoma, which involved waiting in Dubai and Italy, is wildly fascinating . . . Using energetic prose, Nayeri is an excellent conduit for these heart–rending stories, eschewing judgment and employing care in threading the stories in with her own . . . This is a memoir laced with stimulus and plenty of heart at a time when the latter has grown elusive.” —Star–Tribune (Minneapolis) Aged eight, Dina Nayeri fled Iran along with her mother and brother and lived in the crumbling shell of an Italian hotel–turned–refugee camp. Eventually she was granted asylum in America. She settled in Oklahoma, then made her way to Princeton University. In this book, Nayeri weaves together her own vivid story with the stories of other refugees and asylum seekers in recent years, bringing us inside their daily lives and taking us through the different stages of their journeys, from escape to asylum to resettlement. In these pages, a couple fall in love over the phone, and women gather to prepare the noodles that remind them of home. A closeted queer man tries to make his case truthfully as he seeks asylum, and a translator attempts to help new arrivals present their stories to officials. Nayeri confronts notions like “the swarm,” and, on the other hand, “good” immigrants. She calls attention to the harmful way in which Western governments privilege certain dangers over others. With surprising and provocative questions, The Ungrateful Refugee challenges us to rethink how we talk about the refugee crisis. “A writer who confronts issues that are key to the refugee experience.” —Viet Thanh Nguyen, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Sympathizer and The Refugees

Debt--personal, corporate, governmental--is so pervasive in contemporary economies, with its moralistic logic nearly unquestioned. Debt's necessity renders it morally neutral, absolving it of the dehumanizing effect it brings in unbridled financialization. In Just Debt Ilsup Ahn explores ethical implications of the practice of debt. By placing debt in the context of anthropology, philosophy, economics, and the ethical traditions provided by the Abrahamic religions, Ahn holds that debt was originally a form of gift, a gift that was intended as a means to serve humanity. Debt, as gift, had moral ends. Since the late eighteenth century, however, debt has been reduced to an amoral economic tool, one separated from its social and political context. Ahn recovers an ethics of debt and its moral economy by rediscovering debt's forgotten aspect--that all debts entail unique human stories. Ahn argues that it is only in and by these stories that the justice of debt can be determined. In order for debt to be justly established, its story should be free from elements of exploitation, abuse, and manipulation and should conform to the principles of serviceability, payability, and shareability. Although the contemporary global economy disconnects debt from its context, Ahn argues that debt must be firmly grounded in the world of moral values, social solidarity, and political resolution. By re-embedding debt within its moral world, Just Debt offers a holistic ethics of debt for a neoliberal age.

You could be just two paycheques away from bankruptcy! More people are up to their eyeballs in debt than ever before. Canadian families currently owe over $450 billion. That’s almost $15,000 in debt for every man, woman, and child in the country. It's mortgages, vehicles, credit cards, student loans, and more ... and it's dangerous. The number of consumer bankruptcies has been rising dramatically every year, and Canadians from all walks of life are in dire financial straits — from the working poor to the highest-income professionals. No one is immune from crushing debt, and it will just get worse if we don't take control now. Effectively managing your debt is one of the first—and most important — steps toward your financial health. Put Your Debt on a Diet takes the mystery and fear out of the process of overcoming even the most severe financial problems. Shows you how to effectively reduce and eliminate debt using realistic and down-to-earth techniques. Provides a clear process and achievable milestones that you and your family can use to improve money management skills and resolve debt problems. Includes comprehensive coverage on: assessing your debts, building better money habits, setting financial goals, budgeting strategies, credit counselling, debt reduction strategies, using credit cards wisely, how to shop for credit, and much more. Features practical examples, tips, frequently-asked-questions, worksheets, and checklists to help you reduce your debt load. Whether you're in financial crisis, or just living too close to the edge, Put Your Debt on a Diet is the ultimate reducing plan to help you trim your debt load and put you on the road to good financial health.

Now in paperback, the updated and expanded edition: David Graeber’s “fresh . . . fascinating . . . thought-provoking . . . and exceedingly timely” (Financial Times) history of debt Here anthropologist David Graeber presents a stunning reversal of conventional wisdom: he shows that before there was money, there was debt. For more than 5,000 years, since the beginnings of the first agrarian empires, humans have used elaborate credit systems to buy and sell goods—that is, long before the invention of coins or cash. It is in this era, Graeber argues, that we also first encounter a society divided into debtors and creditors. Graeber shows that arguments about debt and debt forgiveness have been at the center of political debates from Italy to China, as well as sparking innumerable insurrections. He also brilliantly demonstrates that the language of the ancient works of law and religion (words like “guilt,” “sin,” and “redemption”) derive in large part from ancient debates about debt, and shape even our most basic ideas of right and wrong. We are still fighting these battles today without knowing it.