The Banker Ladies

""The Banker Ladies solidly lays the groundwork for a sustained research program on Pan-African co-operatives in the Caribbean, Brazil, and India, as well as in Canada and the United States. Hossein successfully makes the case for Africana feminist political economy to become embedded in the Canadian international development sector and beyond.""--Lisa Aubrey, Associate Professor of African and African American Studies and Political Science, Arizona State University ""For too long co-operativism has been seen through a white Western lens that ignores its diversity. This book puts an end to this devious refusal. Caroline Shenaz Hossein powerfully demands recognition for distinctive varieties of co-operativism. She shines a bright light onto everyday practices of mutual aid, reciprocity, and sharing by which Black, Indigenous, and racialized people have knitted together life sustaining solidarity economies over the longue durée. Her champion economic subjects are the Banker Ladies who, against all odds, foster a caring, culturally diverse economy that puts people before profits. This book is a must-read for anyone keen to decolonize economic theorizing and learn from the wisdom of Black women.""--J.K. Gibson-Graham, Professor at the Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University and Community Economies Institute ""Caroline Shenaz Hossein's brilliant book educates individuals about the Banker Ladies. In countries around the world, these women find ways to rebel against political and economic exclusion and empower their communities in innovative ways. As a result, they are the dynamic and courageous backbones of their communities. This book is nothing less than a masterpiece.""--Sharon D. Wright Austin, Professor of Political Science, University of Florida ""The Banker Ladies offers an exposition of a hoary tradition of social and economic mutual aid that immigrants to Canada and their progeny, mainly but not exclusively of African descent, have transplanted to their new milieu. Caroline Shenaz Hossein brings passion and commitment, as well as a certain amount of personal and familial experience with the subject matter.""--Michael West, Professor of African American Studies, History, and African Studies, Pennsylvania State University ""In this significant work, Caroline Shenaz Hossein masterfully unveils how Black women in Canada and the Caribbean employed diverse financial strategies to meet the needs of their communities. The Banker Ladies powerfully captures the critical, yet often invisible, role these women play in building economic power and stability in an anti-Black world.""--Keisha N. Blain, Professor of Africana Studies and History, Brown University