Market and Society: The Great Transformation Today - Contemporary

In this review of Market and Society: The Great Transformation Today, the editors Chris Hann and Keith Hart collect essays that revisit Karl Polanyi's classic critique for a modern audience. The book is best for readers who want a scholarly but accessible reassessment of the market's social effects; its single biggest strength is bringing diverse disciplinary perspectives together so the reader sees how Polanyi's ideas apply to money, risk, work and the family across several countries. This review focuses on clarity of argument, geographical range and the usefulness of the case studies for students and researchers.

Key Features

• Interdisciplinary essays: Contributors from economic anthropology, sociology and political economy provide varied theoretical angles that help readers connect Polanyi to contemporary debates.
• Updated applications: Case studies relate Polanyi's framework to modern issues such as money and risk, making the original arguments relevant for current policy and research questions.
• Global perspective: Empirical material from Britain, China, India, Jamaica and Nigeria gives the book comparative depth and highlights how market-society relations differ by context.
• Theoretical engagement: The volume shows how Polanyi's ideas intersect with several social science traditions, supporting deeper classroom or seminar discussion.
• Editorial curation: Hann and Hart assemble contributions that balance historical reflection with contemporary analysis, aiding readers who want both overview and detail.

Who It's For

Scholars, graduate students and informed general readers interested in economic sociology, economic anthropology or economic history will find this collection useful as a contemporary companion to Polanyi's work. It is particularly valuable for instructors who want curated case studies spanning multiple regions to illustrate theory in practice.

Readers seeking a short, introductory primer or a policy manual will want a different title; this volume is essay-based, assumes some familiarity with social science concepts, and aims to deepen theoretical and comparative understanding rather than provide step-by-step policy prescriptions.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Wide disciplinary range that clarifies how Polanyi speaks to anthropology, sociology and political economy.
• Concrete case studies from several countries that ground theory in empirical evidence.
• Editors provide a coherent thematic focus on money, risk, work and the family that ties the essays together.

Cons

• The essay format and scholarly tone mean it is less suited to casual readers seeking an introductory overview.

Specifications

Title	Market and Society: The Great Transformation Today
Editors	Chris Hann, Keith Hart
Focus	Reappraisal of Karl Polanyi's The Great Transformation
Disciplines	Economic anthropology, sociology, political economy
Case study countries	Britain, China, India, Jamaica, Nigeria
Main topics	Money, risk, work, the family

Our Verdict

Market and Society assembles thoughtful, comparative essays that make Polanyi relevant for contemporary research; it is a strong purchase for academics and students who want grounded theoretical discussion across multiple regions. While not a beginner's textbook, it offers good value to anyone studying market-society relations and seeking diverse scholarly perspectives in one collected volume.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this volume focus only on theory?
Answer. No, it combines theoretical engagement with empirical case studies from several countries to illustrate how Polanyi's ideas operate in practice.

Is the book suitable for undergraduate courses?
Answer. Yes for upper-level undergraduates in social sciences who have some prior exposure to economic sociology or anthropology; introductory students may find parts demanding.

Are contemporary issues like risk and money covered?
Answer. Yes, several essays explicitly address topics such as money and risk and relate them to Polanyi's original arguments.