Inequality is not just about the size of our wallets. It is a socio-cultural order which, for most of us, reduces our capabilities to function as human beings, our health, our dignity, our sense of self, as well as our resources to act and participate in the world. This book shows that inequality is literally a killing field, with millions of people dying premature deaths because of it. These lethal effects of inequality operate not only in the poor world, but also, and increasingly, in rich countries, as Therborn demonstrates with data ranging from the US, the UK, Finland and elsewhere. Even when they survive inequality, millions of human lives are stunted by the humiliations and degradations of inequality linked to gender, race and ethnicity, and class. But this book is about experiences of equalization too, highlighting moments and processes of equalization in different parts of the world - from India and other parts of Asia, from the Americas, as well as from Europe. South Africa illustrates the toughest challenges. The killing fields of inequality can be avoided: this book shows how. Clear, succinct, wide-ranging in scope and empirical in its approach, this timely book by one of the world s leading social scientists will appeal to a wide readership.

Inequality is not just about the size of our wallets. It is asocio-cultural order which, for most of us, reduces ourcapabilities to function as human beings, our health, our dignityour sense of self, as well as our resources to act and participatein the world. This book shows that inequality is literally akilling field, with millions of people dying premature deathsbecause of it. These lethal effects of inequality operate not onlyin the poor world, but also, and increasingly, in rich countriesas Therborn demonstrates with data ranging from the US, the UKFinland and elsewhere. Even when they survive inequality, millionsof human lives are stunted by the humiliations and degradations ofinequality linked to gender, race and ethnicity, and class.But this book is about experiences of equalization toohighlighting moments and processes of equalization in differentparts of the world - from India and other parts of Asia, fromthe Americas, as well as from Europe. South Africa illustrates thetoughest challenges. The killing fields of inequality can beavoided: this book shows how.Clear, succinct, wide-ranging in scope and empirical in itsapproach, this timely book by one of the world's leadingsocial scientists will appeal to a wide readership.

Figures page viTables viiIntroduction 1I. The Fields 51. Human, Nasty and Short: Life under Inequality 72. Behind the Doors of Exclusion 20II. Theory 353. Theoretical Cross-Draught 374. Three Kinds of (In)Equality and Their Production 48III. History 695. Inequality and the Rise of Modernity 716. A Historical Six-Pack: Three Inequalities inGlobal and National History 79IV. Today's Unequal World 1017. Current World Patterns and Dynamics of Inequalities 1038. Three Puzzles of Contemporary Inequalities 132V. Possible Futures 1519. Overcoming Inequality - Yesterday and Tomorrow 15310. The Decisive Battlefields of Future (In)Equality 166References 185Index 202