David Graeber was a joyful, celebratory individual. He was enthusiastic, talkative, and brimming with excitement about the possibilities presented by the ideas and ideologies he engaged with. Every time we met, whether in New Haven in the early 2000s or London a few years before his passing in 2020, he exuded the same energy: radiant, disheveled, with a restless spirit that mirrored the constant activity of his mind, words pouring out incessantly. He was highly regarded in activist circles for being a good listener, and his commitment to radical egalitarianism was evident in how he interacted with those around him.
He remained an anthropologist at heart. After conducting fieldwork among traditional societies in Madagascar, he continued his exploration, shifting his focus to his own culture. Essays like Dead Zones of the Imagination: On Violence, Bureaucracy, and ‘Interpretive Labor’ and his book Bullshit Jobs stemmed from his application of an anthropological lens to topics often considered mundane or overlooked – such as the role and impact of bureaucracy. His bestselling work on debt in 2011 served as a reminder that monetary systems and financial structures are social constructs that can be reshaped for the betterment of society.
He consistently emphasized that industrialized Western civilization is just one of many possible ways of organizing society, drawing on examples of past and present cultures that rejected norms like agriculture, technology, or social hierarchies in favor of greater freedom. He rejected linear narratives that portray modern humans as either regressing from a state of innocence or progressing from primitive barbarism. Instead, he presented a vision of societies as ongoing experiments and humans as inherently creative beings. This diversity offered him hope and served as the foundation for his belief that things can change.
As Marcus Rediker noted in his review of David’s posthumous work Pirate Enlightenment, “Everything Graeber wrote was simultaneously a genealogy of the present and an account of what a just society might look like.” He was deeply concerned about all forms of inequality, including gender disparities, and the violence that upholds these inequalities and restricts freedom. He explored ways to delegitimize these structures and highlighted instances where societies managed to break free from oppressive systems. His focus was consistently on freedom and the barriers that impede it.
He despised the bureaucratic aspects of academia but found joy in activist gatherings, relishing in the planning and mischievous activities
David is often credited with coining the slogan “We are the 99%” during the Occupy Wall Street movement, although he humbly downplayed his role, attributing only the “99%” part to himself in creating a phrase that resonated widely and led to the popularization of the term “the 1%” to describe the elite. “The 99%” symbolizes a hopeful outlook, challenging the traditional class distinctions of working, middle, and upper classes, and uniting the majority who face financial struggles and precarity against the wealthy minority.
Graeber is said to have coined the Occupy Wall Street slogan ‘We are the 99%’ – though he only wanted partial credit. Photograph: KeystoneUSA-ZUMA/Rex Features
David found immense satisfaction in his work and its intersection with real-world movements, particularly the radical activism of the late 1990s and early 2000s, including the anti-globalization protests culminating in the WTO conference shutdown in Seattle in 1999, the Zapatista uprising in Mexico starting in 1994, and various forms of egalitarian resistance and direct democracy initiatives, notably the Occupy Wall Street movement in 2011, in which he was actively involved.
His enthusiasm for his work and its practical application, especially within radical movements, reflected his belief that ideas could lead to tangible change. He embraced the notion that “The ultimate hidden truth of the world is that it is something we make and could just as easily make differently.” This fundamental belief in the power of human agency to reshape societal norms and values fueled his optimism and dedication to challenging the status quo.
David’s outsider perspective, fueled by his commitment to dismantling established assumptions and inviting others to explore new possibilities, set him apart. His writings often posed the question, “What happens if we don’t accept this?” – prompting readers to critically examine existing norms and envision alternative paths to freedom and liberation.
This revised version captures the essence of David Graeber’s legacy as a scholar and activist who championed the potential for transformative change through critical thinking, grassroots movements, and unwavering hope.