A magic carpet rug is a legendary and mythical object that has captivated the imaginations of people for centuries. The idea of a rug that can fly and transport its riders to far-off lands has been depicted in various folklore and children's stories. The concept of the magic carpet rug is believed to have originated from the Middle East. In tales from the region, magic carpets have been described as being woven with intricate patterns and made from luxurious fabrics. These carpets are said to possess magical powers that allow them to defy gravity and soar through the sky. It is said that by uttering certain incantations or holding onto the edges of the carpet, one can control its direction and speed.
Book Description Paperback or Softback. Condition: New. Caliban and the Witch: Women, the Body and Primitive Accumulation. Book. Seller Inventory # BBS-9781570270598
In seeking to uncover a hidden history that needs to be made visible Federici foregrounds the secret of capitalism, women s unpaid reproductive work, slavery and colonisation p. In this way, moral and physical violence against women is shown to constitute not a separate and distinct problem, but an organic part of the progress of capital.
It is said that by uttering certain incantations or holding onto the edges of the carpet, one can control its direction and speed. The allure of the magic carpet rug lies in the freedom and adventure it represents. Imagining oneself being whisked away on a flying carpet is a fantasy that appeals to the human desire for escapism and exploration.
Silvia Federici, Caliban and the Witch
In Caliban and the Witch , Silvia Federici tells the sweeping story of how the proletariat came to exist as an exploited and exploitable class. For Federici, the central figure in the transition from feudalism to capitalism is women’s bodies. Women, she argues, were subjugated in order to reproduce a workforce that could be treated like machines. A similar process occurred with divisions along racial lines, for Federici argues that “capitalism, as a social-economic system, is necessarily committed to racism and sexism.” (17) In other words, capitalism rose by dividing those at the bottom along lines of gender and race.
Federici begins with a discussion of medieval protests against feudalism and the rise of popular heresy. Both, Federici argues, divided society along class lines, because both were expressions of peasant and urban labor unrest at the social hierarchy, which was thrown into stark relief when the Black Death created a massive labor shortage. But the counter-revolution exploited divisions within workers by focusing antagonism on women rather than class. Rape was decriminalized and municipal brothels were opened, while the centralizing state exerted greater power over the bodies of women.
This was only the first step toward dividing workers against each other, Federici argues. The process continued with new hierarchies built upon gender, race, and age. Capitalism, then, “planted into the body of the proletariat deep divisions that have served to intensify and conceal exploitation.” (64)
Federici’s most in-depth examination of the nexus between women and the rise of capitalism comes in chapter four, which she devotes to the European witch hunts. For Federici, the witch-hunt was a central event in the development of a capitalist society. It also formed the modern proletariat. The hunt served as a campaign of terror that divided women and men, by constructing a new patriarchal order that placed women’s bodies, their labor, and their reproductive power under control of the state, effectively transforming them into economic resources. The witch hunts were not about punishing specific transgressions, Federici claims, but rather they created a mechanism to intimidate women and eliminate non-conformist female behavior.
Thus, the persecution of witches was a form of class warfare. Take, for example, the obsession among witch hunters that witches committed acts of infanticide or harmed fertility. During an era of population decline, witches were thus targeting the economic stability and wealth of the nation. Federici contends that the witch hunt served the needs of European elites by eliminating a perceived threat to their political and economic power.
On the whole, Caliban and the Witch is a fascinating and important book. It demonstrates historically the author’s contention about the link between the devaluation of women and the expropriation of labor. In this way, moral and physical violence against women is shown to constitute not a separate and distinct problem, but an organic part of the progress of capital. In doing so, Federici links the feminist struggle to the struggle against capital––an intersection that is in many respects controversial on the left. She does so, in essence, by demonstrating that primitive accumulation, the process inherent to the rise of capitalism, was carried out in a way that intimately involved the role of women in society. In other words, the expropriation of female power and the expropriation of the independent means of subsistence that enabled the peasant class to resist proletarianization went hand in hand.
Most strikingly, the author demonstrates this through an analysis of the witch trials, a reading which cuts deeply in several directions. On the one hand, Federici shows that far from being an expression of the last gasps of medieval superstition, the witch hunts were very much a modern event which served to pave the way for the rationalization of life that was then underway and on which capital depended. On the other hand, she uses this discussion to successfully attack the French historian and social theorist Michel Foucault, whose History of Sexuality opposed the so-called “repression” thesis which held that after the decline of the Renaissance until the 20th century, sexuality and sexual expression were silenced and that the flowering of discourse on this subject in the 20th century represents a form of liberation. Foucault argued that, on the contrary, this period was characterized too by a flowering of discourse; the modern era was not so much concerned with silencing sexuality as “making it speak” in new ways in the service of now ways of exercising and diffusing power relations. Federici points out that this thesis is plausible only to the extent that we ignore the witch trials; these persecutions were very much a matter of sexual, economic, and political repression.
There are some features of this book which ought to be further elaborated. Given that the force of Federici’s argument rests on the relation between the oppression of women and primitive accumulation, it would be interesting to hear Federici’s response to writers like Rosa Luxemburg, who argued––contra Marx––that primitive accumulation is not a historically isolable event, but the very foundation of all capitalist development. Federici addresses this to some degree in the final chapter, where she discusses the rise of witch-hunts in Africa and India and suggests that these signal a new cycle in the process of expropriation. However, she does not go nearly far enough in this direction.
It would also be interesting to consider the ramifications of Federici’s analysis for the United States. What, for example, can we make of the periodic satanism hysterias that still crop up from time to time here? What do we make of the manner in which magical practices constitute, among certain rural white populations (e.g. snake handling), an important element of religious experience? What about “speaking in tongues” and “faith healing?” What about “new age” and alternative medicines? Are all of these now benign sideshows in a world dominated by capitalist rationalization, or something else? From one perspective, they appear regressive and seem to stand in for real, concrete, resistance to the system. Yet, Federici seems to indicate that magical practices have historically constituted a meaningful site of resistance. Does this remain true today? If so, how?
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Hayyim Rothman has a PhD in Philosophy from Boston College and recently received a Fulbright postdoctoral research fellowship to work at Bar Ilan University in Israel.
In high school, like many young women, my friends and I developed a fascination with witches. Years before we knew what feminism was, a sense of foreboding had developed among us, about our place in the world and our power relative to adults and to our male peers. As ambitious teen girls wary of how we were perceived in the adult world, we sought solace in the idea that we could harness a secret and subversive power to change things. After school we concocted potions, conducted rituals and created secret languages. For a time we believed in magic.
It offers a sense of liberation from the constraints of the physical world, allowing the rider to venture to places unreachable by conventional means. The magic carpet rug has been widely depicted in literature, art, and popular culture. One of the most famous examples is the story of Aladdin and his magic carpet, which is featured in the collection of Middle Eastern folk tales known as "One Thousand and One Nights." In this story, Aladdin discovers a magic carpet and uses it to win the heart of Princess Jasmine and defeat his enemies. In modern times, the concept of the magic carpet rug has been adapted and reimagined in various forms. It has made appearances in movies, television shows, and video games, cementing its place as an iconic and enduring symbol of enchantment and wonder. While the magic carpet rug remains firmly rooted in the realm of fantasy and folklore, its enduring popularity speaks to the human fascination with magic and the possibility of limitless possibilities. Whether used as a metaphor for imagination or as a literal means of transportation, the magic carpet rug continues to capture the hearts and minds of people of all ages..
Reviews for "The Allure of Antique Magic Carpet Rugs"
- Sarah - 1 star - I was really excited to try out the Magic Carpet Rug, but I was so disappointed with the results. The rug didn't sit flat on the floor and kept curling up at the corners, causing a tripping hazard. Additionally, the colors on the rug faded after just a few weeks of use, making it look worn out and cheap. I would not recommend this product to anyone.
- Mark - 2 stars - I bought the Magic Carpet Rug hoping it would add a touch of magic to my living room, but unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations. The rug was advertised as being soft and plush, but it felt rough and uncomfortable to walk on. The pattern on the rug also seemed faded and pixelated, giving it a cheap and low-quality appearance. Overall, I was not impressed with this product and I would not purchase it again.
- Emily - 1 star - The Magic Carpet Rug turned out to be a big disappointment for me. The rug shed excessively, leaving fibers all over my floors and making it difficult to keep my house clean. It also had a strange odor that persisted even after multiple cleanings. The design of the rug also did not match the pictures shown online, leading to a mismatch in my home decor. I ended up returning this rug as it did not live up to my expectations. Save your money and look elsewhere for a better quality rug.