Debito, finanza, rischio e crisi. O la sociologia della moneta che non c’è

Starting from the events that led to the 2007 financial crisis, interest in the contribution of social sciences to debt analysis has grown steadily. The book The Sociology of Debt edited by Mark Featherstone aims to provide the reader with the map of the most recent perspectives and issues on this topic, focusing in particular on the social embeddedness of debt and its effect in the debtor-creditor relationship, both at the micro-level (individuals and families) and the macro-level (between states). However, this critical note argues that the authors’ goal is only partially achieved. In fact, the text provides interesting theoretical and analytical considerations, but: i) part of the available scientific literature on the social role and implications of debt is ignored; ii) the empirical analysis of the phenomenon is poorly developed: iii) the appreciable aspiration to multidisciplinarity leads to neglect the extensive knowledge already existing on debt from a sociological perspective.