Family Abolition Capitalism and the Communizing of Care

by M. E. O'Brien · 2023

Family Abolition: Capitalism and the Communizing of Care offers a sweeping, accessible history of two centuries of reproductive class struggle and a bold vision for a future beyond the private family. M.E. O'Brien traces how capitalist and racial economies have shaped the housewife‑based family model—from industrial Europe to slave plantations and settler frontiers—while highlighting the radical alternatives proposed by early Marxists, Black and queer insurrectionists, and today’s mass protest movements. By weaving together past revolts, contemporary queer and Black communal experiments, and speculative futures, the book shows how care, child‑rearing, and elder support might be reorganized in a truly communal, anti‑capitalist society. It invites readers to imagine a “beloved community” where love and support are collective, not confined to oppressive domestic structures.