Dying from Despair and the Future of Capitalism (Book)

Dying of Despair and the Future of Capitalism, authored by Anne Case and Angus Deaton and translated into Turkish by Bilge Özensoy, is a sociological study published by Dergâh Yayınları in February 2024 as part of their Sociology series. The work analyzes the destructive impact of the neoliberal transformation of American capitalism on individuals.

Subject

The book combines statistical data on the collapse of the American Dream with personal narratives to examine the rising rates of “deaths of despair”—suicide and deaths from drug and alcohol abuse—among middle-aged white Americans. The authors present a systematic assessment of how economic inequality, the erosion of workers’ rights, and neoliberal policies have isolated vulnerable segments of society.

Themes

• Deaths of Despair: The social and economic origins of increasing causes of death among middle-aged populations are explored.
• The Inclusivity of Neoliberalism: The way promises of economic growth under neoliberal policies have led to individual decline are critically examined.
• The Modern Addiction Crisis: Opioid, alcohol, and drug addiction are framed as consequences of the capitalist system.
• The Future of Capitalism: The threat posed by this structural decay to the sustainability of capitalism is assessed.

Style and Narrative

Case and Deaton employ an analytical narrative supported by comprehensive statistical charts. While offering a critical perspective grounded in social science literature, they add an emotional dimension through case examples. The translation preserves the original emphasis of the text and renders the language fluently into Turkish.