Silvia Federici is an autonomist-Marxist-feminist author who wrote Caliban and the Witch in 2004. Her argument in the chapter, ‘The Accumulation of Labor and the Degradation of Women: Constructing “Difference” in the “Transition to Capitalism”’ is that the origins of capitalism were intrinsically tied to patriarchal systems and beliefs that were set at the 16^th and 17^th century. I chose this particular piece in part because the language in this work is highly immersive, filled with brutal imagery and horrifying realities. In one instance, she refers to Europe as having ‘brought death to America’; in another, she illustrates that the deaths from disease were so high that ‘their [the victims’] bodies paved the streets’. (Federici, 2004, p. 85-86). Furthermore, I found that this piece demonstrated how the exploitation and demonisation of women aided the rise of capitalism during the 16^th and 17^th century in an empathetic yet accurate manner.

Federici’s insight and argument in this chapter is that the population crisis during the 16^th and 17^th century allowed for the oppression of women through their reproduction rights in a social, political and even in a legal manner. She illustrates multiple causes for the population decline in this period of time, including diseases such as the Black Death and smallpox, as well as the ‘American Holocaust’. The poor being grudging to reproduce was also a factor. (Federici, 2004, p. 85-86). While the ruling class was affected by this population decline, it is important to distinguish that they were not affected by disease during the Early Modern Period to the same extent as the working class. Federici argues in that population growth and reproduction became a matter of the state during this time. (Federici, 2004, p. 86).

Federici’s argument is presented in a number of different ways, but mainly through a feminist lens. There are lengthy discussions on the ‘disciplining’ of women through pro-natalist laws that were passed to ‘put a premium on marriage and penalized celibacy’. The witch hunt was another method used to discipline women, reprimanding birth control of any kind and ‘non-procreative sexuality’. Women that were speculated to be witches were also charged with sacrificing their children to the devil. Reproduction, or rather, the lack of it, became a crime of the state (Federici, 2004, p. 88). She discusses how the newfound changes and restriction surrounding female sexuality also affected the midwife industry, as they were replaced by male doctors who were seen as more capable to do the job. (Federici, 2004, p. 89). This can also be said for the prostitution industry, which faced challenges in the form of restrictions and criminalization. (Federici, 2004, p. 94). Moreover, she also looks at the oppression of women during this time through a Marxist lens, discussing how in the Communist Manifesto, Marx had assumed that women’s reproductivity wouldn’t be a means of control and exploitation to further capitalism. It is said that ‘child-making [was] an activity which he treated as a gender-neutral, undifferentiated process’. (Federici, 2004, p. 91)

The main assumption that Federici’s argument makes is that capitalism and the oppression of women’s reproductive rights were inherently linked, starting from the 16^th century. As the state became interested in population growth, a woman’s job transitioned from a worker to a means of reproduction. Federici examines how even the labour women did at home was seen as ‘non-work’ or ‘housework’. She articulates that the labour women did was devalued; if a man did the same work, the perceived level of productivity would differ greatly, and he would be compensated fairly for the work. (Federici, 2004, p. 92). Under the subheading ‘The Patriarchy of Wage’, she maintains that women in lower-class families were excluded from wages as a means of control. Despite doing manual labour, the wife no longer received any monetary compensation for her work – instead, the husband gained possession of her wage. (Federici, 2004, p. 91).

This piece contributed to my understanding of the origins of capitalism as it allowed me to make connections between the patriarchal dominance that advanced capitalism during the 16^th century to modern-day realities. Federici’s work also helped me to understand how the oppression of women and people of colour are significant in maintaining the functioning of capitalism. I found out that stereotypes such as femininity being inferior to masculinity originated in 17^th century, and that women were unfairly characterized as overly emotional, hypersexual and unable to navigate the world without men. From this came an infantilized ideal of women that can still be seen today – traits such as virtuous, compliant, submissive, nurturing and able to follow instruction from men are not just encouraged, but expected. (Federici, 2004, p. 101)

The limitations of this piece as a commentary on the origins of capitalism is the lack of discussion about the experiences women of colour had in this time period. Federici does a wonderful job discussing the lives of women from different classes, but she struggles to do the same for women of different racial background. That is not to say she doesn’t examine how colonial exploits and slavery were favoured in the rise of capitalism, but her focus remains mostly on the similarity between black men and white woman and neglects to delve more into the intersectional identity of black women. (Federici, 2004, p. 108). There are brief mentions of how colonial expansion and the new-found misogyny of the time affected women of colour, but it lacks in detail. An example of this can be seen under the subheading ‘Population Decline, Economic Crisis, and the Disciplining of Women’ about the gender-based violence both European women and female slaves in colonial plantations face. (Federici, 2004, p. 89). Another can be seen when Federici debates whether or not the low birth rates were a result of the cruel living conditions or deliberate resistance. (Federici, 2004, p. 112) These are the only two instances where the experiences of women of colour are illustrated, and both instances are glossed over.