Abstract
The essay considers socio-economic organisation from the perspective of monopoly capitalism analysis, a strand of heterodox economics. The centre-piece of the essay is a photographic study of two temporary overnight shelters in Kelowna, one of the principal cities in British Columbia, Canada. Monopoly capitalism analysis has not previously drawn on photographic practices as an approach to inquiry. A characteristic of monopoly capitalist economies is that market-oriented, large corporations influence socio-economic organisation more generally. The essential practices of those corporations thereby penetrate the nooks and crannies of market economies. The essay is especially concerned with practices such as control, constraints on freedom, exercise of voice, and dehumanisation. The photographs and accompanying text – contextual discussions of monopoly capitalism and temporary shelters, and a caption for each image in the sequence – work together to show that traits of temporary overnight shelters in Kelowna are consistent with monopoly capitalist practices. It is suggested that such traits will be fossilised in the forever future of socio-economic systems, unless people’s awareness and challenge lead to choice of a different development path. The case-study demonstrates how photographs may enrich analysis of socio-economic organisation more widely, beyond the particular circumstances that it addresses.
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