Welcome to the database!

On this website you will find a collection of political economy keyword essays by graduate and undergraduate students from across the social sciences and humanities departments at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Inspired by Raymond Williams’ Keywords: A Vocabulary of Culture and Society (1985), our project provides critical explanations of fundamental terms in political economy. Our essays include common definitions, genealogies and intellectual histories, and critical contemporary debates surrounding political economy terms. We purposely take a broad and inclusive approach to political economy, and this collection of essays includes keywords one might come across in the classic works of political economy by thinkers like Smith, Marx, and Keynes (e.g. Accumulation, Liberalism, and Money); in the political science sub-disciplines of comparative political economy and international political economy (e.g. Bretton Woods, Regime, and Varieties of Capitalism); and in critical political theory approaches to political economy (e.g. Nature, Power, and Wife).

We hope that this project continues to grow in the years ahead; if you are interested in contributing, please do not hesitate to reach out.