--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is astonishing that critical…" description: "\"“It is astonishing that critical scholarship has asked forever about the identification of these store-house cities, but without ever asking about the ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d1/walter-brueggemann-9698_cheap-labor_it-is-astonishing-that-critical-scholars_2607449.jpg" --- # It is astonishing that critical scholarship has asked… ![“It is astonishing that critical scholarship has asked forever about the identification of these store-house cities, but without ever asking about the skewed exploitative social relationships between owner and laborers that the project exhibits. The store-house cities are an ancient parallel to the…” quote by Walter Brueggemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d1/walter-brueggemann-9698_cheap-labor_it-is-astonishing-that-critical-scholars_2607449.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d1/walter-brueggemann-9698_cheap-labor_it-is-astonishing-that-critical-scholars_2607449.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d1/walter-brueggemann-9698_cheap-labor_it-is-astonishing-that-critical-scholars_2607449.jpg) > ““It is astonishing that critical scholarship has asked forever about the identification of these store-house cities, but without ever asking about the skewed exploitative social relationships between owner and laborers that the project exhibits. The store-house cities are an ancient parallel to the great banks and insurance houses where surplus wealth is kept among us. That surplus wealth, produced by the cheap labor of peasants, must now be protected from the peasants by law and by military force.”” [Walter Brueggemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-brueggemann/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author critiques scholarship for focusing on identifying ancient store‑house cities while neglecting the exploitative relationships between owners and laborers, drawing parallels to modern financial institutions. **In simple terms:** Scholars ignore power imbalances in economic history. Key Takeaway Examine hidden power dynamics in economics. Themes economic justice historical analysis social critique Mood critical urgent Type analytical political When to use this quote - academic research - policy analysis - activist education Key Concepts marxist theory property relations wealth distribution Questions to Reflect On - What mechanisms protect elite wealth today? - How can labor challenge entrenched economic power? A Different Perspective May generalize across diverse historical contexts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cheap labor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheap-labor/) [Insurance Houses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insurance-houses-1998177/) [Labor Peasants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labor-peasants-1998176/) [Protected Peasants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protected-peasants-1998175/) [Social relationships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-relationships/) [Store House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/store-house-1998178/) [Surplus Wealth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surplus-wealth-306475/) ## Related quotes > [The first American insurance company was the Friendly Society for the Mutual Insurance of Houses Against Fire, founded in Charles Town in South Carolina,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-tobias/the-first-american-insurance-company-was-the-friendly-society-for-the/) [Andrew Tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-tobias/) > [The surplus wealth we have gained to some extent at least belongs to our fellow beings; we are only the temporary custodians of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-schiff/the-surplus-wealth-we-have-gained-to-some-extent-at-least-belongs-to/) [Jacob Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-schiff/) > [As we celebrate a culture of giving, however, we must also sharpen the question of how extreme wealth generation happens in the first place.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rohini-nilekani/as-we-celebrate-a-culture-of-giving-however-we-must-also-sharpen-the/) [Rohini Nilekani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rohini-nilekani/) > [Surplus wealth is a sacred trust which its possessor is bound to administer in his lifetime for the good of the community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-carnegie/surplus-wealth-is-a-sacred-trust-which-its-possessor-is-bound-to/) [Andrew Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-carnegie/) > [“their surplus wealth to the mass of their fellows in the forms best calculated to do them lasting good. Thus is the problem of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-carnegie/their-surplus-wealth-to-the-mass-of-their-fellows-in-the-forms-best/) [Andrew Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-carnegie/) > [Surplus wealth is a sacred trust to be managed for the good of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-carnegie/surplus-wealth-is-a-sacred-trust-to-be-managed-for-the-good-of-others/) [Andrew Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-carnegie/) > [“The story of resource extraction has only two cases, okay? In the first case, the extractors arrive and make the local ruler an offer.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-clarke/the-story-of-resource-extraction-has-only-two-cases-okay-in-the-first/) [Neil Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-clarke/) > [We're giving jobs to people who would otherwise be out of work if we weren't exploiting cheap labor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/we-re-giving-jobs-to-people-who-would-otherwise-be-out-of-work-if-we/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [It's difficult to get a job and people stay in school longer because they're employed as teaching assistants or instructors by their schools, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-menand/it-s-difficult-to-get-a-job-and-people-stay-in-school-longer-because/) [Louis Menand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-menand/) > [“I’m like Casanova meets Henry Ford. My reproduction methods are more like production methods one might see in a factory, complete with conveyer belts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-m-like-casanova-meets-henry-ford-my-reproduction-methods-are-more/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [Business often does a good job supporting communities: the arts, universities, and scientific enterprises... But that philosophy has rarely reached poor countries. Even businesses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-sachs/business-often-does-a-good-job-supporting-communities-the-arts/) [Jeffrey Sachs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-sachs/) > [We have greedy companies unlawfully hiring illegals, both adults and children, for cheap labor instead of hiring Americans. Not only are they exploiting these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-paulina-luna/we-have-greedy-companies-unlawfully-hiring-illegals-both-adults-and/) [Anna Paulina Luna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-paulina-luna/) > [Food should be cheap, and labor should be cheap, and everything should be the same no matter where you go; whether it's a McDonald's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-waters/food-should-be-cheap-and-labor-should-be-cheap-and-everything-should/) [Alice Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-waters/) > [What we have seen for a very long time is large corporations shutting down plants in this country, plants that are often profitable, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/what-we-have-seen-for-a-very-long-time-is-large-corporations-shutting/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [“Capitalism always draws from the cheap labor pool; the profit is greater when the expense is limited”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-schwalbe/capitalism-always-draws-from-the-cheap-labor-pool-the-profit-is/) [Michael Schwalbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-schwalbe/) ## More by Walter Brueggemann > [“In the end, ethical interpretation of the Bible means to think critically about how our practices of textual engagement might help us to become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/in-the-end-ethical-interpretation-of-the-bible-means-to-think/) [Walter Brueggemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-brueggemann/) > [The world for which you have been so carefully prepared is being taken away from you, by the grace of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/the-world-for-which-you-have-been-so-carefully-prepared-is-being/) [Walter Brueggemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-brueggemann/) > [Every imperial agent wants to reduce what is possible to what is available.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/every-imperial-agent-wants-to-reduce-what-is-possible-to-what-is/) [Walter Brueggemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-brueggemann/) > [“The outcome is to delegitimize and deconstruct the kings in effective ways in order to show that while they occupy the forms of power,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/the-outcome-is-to-delegitimize-and-deconstruct-the-kings-in-effective/) [Walter Brueggemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-brueggemann/) > [The church meets to imagine what our lives can be like if the gospel were true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/the-church-meets-to-imagine-what-our-lives-can-be-like-if-the-gospel/) [Walter Brueggemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-brueggemann/) > [“Pharaoh is clearly a metaphor. He embodies and represents raw, absolute, worldly power. He is, like Pilate after him, a stand-in for the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/pharaoh-is-clearly-a-metaphor-he-embodies-and-represents-raw-absolute/) [Walter Brueggemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-brueggemann/) > [“The news enacted by Elisha is reperformed by Jesus. It is, subsequently, performed in many other venues, sometimes by the followers of Jesus, sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/the-news-enacted-by-elisha-is-reperformed-by-jesus-it-is-subsequently/) [Walter Brueggemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-brueggemann/) > [People notice peacemakers because they dress funny. We know how the people who make war dress - in uniforms and medals, or in computers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/people-notice-peacemakers-because-they-dress-funny-we-know-how-the/) [Walter Brueggemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-brueggemann/) > [“Only those who embrace the reality of death will receive the new life. Implicit in his statement is that those who do not mourn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/only-those-who-embrace-the-reality-of-death-will-receive-the-new-life/) [Walter Brueggemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-brueggemann/) > [“The truth that is variously enacted by such agents is not an idea or a proposition. It is rather a habit of life that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/the-truth-that-is-variously-enacted-by-such-agents-is-not-an-idea-or/) [Walter Brueggemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-brueggemann/) > [“The same subversion of power by truth is evident in the way in which Luke begins his account of Jesus of Nazareth. Luke is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/the-same-subversion-of-power-by-truth-is-evident-in-the-way-in-which/) [Walter Brueggemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-brueggemann/) > [We now know that human transformation does not happen through didacticism or through excessive certitude, but through the playful entertainment of another scripting of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/we-now-know-that-human-transformation-does-not-happen-through/) [Walter Brueggemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-brueggemann/) > [“It occurs to me that the situation of the church in our society, perhaps the church everywhere always, is entrusted with a truth that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/it-occurs-to-me-that-the-situation-of-the-church-in-our-society/) [Walter Brueggemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-brueggemann/) > [The gospel is fiction when judged by the empire, but the empire is fiction when judged by the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/the-gospel-is-fiction-when-judged-by-the-empire-but-the-empire-is/) [Walter Brueggemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-brueggemann/) > [Hope requires a very careful symbolization. It must not be expressed too fully in the present tense because hope one can touch and handle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/hope-requires-a-very-careful-symbolization-it-must-not-be-expressed/) [Walter Brueggemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-brueggemann/) [Explore all 71 Walter Brueggemann quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-brueggemann/) ## More Cheap labor quotes > [“Capitalism always draws from the cheap labor pool; the profit is greater when the expense is limited”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-schwalbe/capitalism-always-draws-from-the-cheap-labor-pool-the-profit-is/) [Michael Schwalbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-schwalbe/) > [What we have seen for a very long time is large corporations shutting down plants in this country, plants that are often profitable, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/what-we-have-seen-for-a-very-long-time-is-large-corporations-shutting/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [Food should be cheap, and labor should be cheap, and everything should be the same no matter where you go; whether it's a McDonald's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-waters/food-should-be-cheap-and-labor-should-be-cheap-and-everything-should/) [Alice Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-waters/) > [We have greedy companies unlawfully hiring illegals, both adults and children, for cheap labor instead of hiring Americans. Not only are they exploiting these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-paulina-luna/we-have-greedy-companies-unlawfully-hiring-illegals-both-adults-and/) [Anna Paulina Luna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-paulina-luna/) > [Business often does a good job supporting communities: the arts, universities, and scientific enterprises... But that philosophy has rarely reached poor countries. Even businesses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-sachs/business-often-does-a-good-job-supporting-communities-the-arts/) [Jeffrey Sachs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-sachs/) > [“I’m like Casanova meets Henry Ford. My reproduction methods are more like production methods one might see in a factory, complete with conveyer belts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-m-like-casanova-meets-henry-ford-my-reproduction-methods-are-more/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [It's difficult to get a job and people stay in school longer because they're employed as teaching assistants or instructors by their schools, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-menand/it-s-difficult-to-get-a-job-and-people-stay-in-school-longer-because/) [Louis Menand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-menand/) > [We're giving jobs to people who would otherwise be out of work if we weren't exploiting cheap labor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/we-re-giving-jobs-to-people-who-would-otherwise-be-out-of-work-if-we/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [“The story of resource extraction has only two cases, okay? In the first case, the extractors arrive and make the local ruler an offer.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-clarke/the-story-of-resource-extraction-has-only-two-cases-okay-in-the-first/) [Neil Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-clarke/) > [“When the United States wants cheap labor, Mexicans respond. When the employment market north of the border is glutted, the barbed wire gets taut,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felipe-fern-ndez-armesto/when-the-united-states-wants-cheap-labor-mexicans-respond-when-the/) [Felipe Fernández-Armesto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felipe-fern-ndez-armesto/) > [“Our present condition is the result of following the leadership of idealists and philanthropic doctrinaires, aided and abetted by the perfectly understandable demand of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-lothrop-stoddard/our-present-condition-is-the-result-of-following-the-leadership-of/) [T. Lothrop Stoddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-lothrop-stoddard/) > [My parents were immigrants. And the place for all immigrants was the factories. They were the source of cheap labor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kirby/my-parents-were-immigrants-and-the-place-for-all-immigrants-was-the/) [Jack Kirby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kirby/) > [“Negro slavery, thus, had nothing to do with climate. Its origin can be expressed in three words: in the Caribbean, Sugar; on the mainland,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-williams/negro-slavery-thus-had-nothing-to-do-with-climate-its-origin-can-be/) [Eric Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-williams/) > [“This is no simple reform. It really is a revolution. Sex and race because they are easy and visible differences have been the primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/this-is-no-simple-reform-it-really-is-a-revolution-sex-and-race/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [“Remember professional ethics. When political leaders set a negative example, professional commitments to just practice become more important. It is hard to subvert a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/remember-professional-ethics-when-political-leaders-set-a-negative/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) [Browse all 61 Cheap labor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheap-labor/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It is astonishing that critical scholarship has asked forever about the identification of these store-house cities, but without ever asking about the skewed exploitative social relationships between owner and laborers that the project exhibits. The store-house cities are an ancient parallel to the great banks and insurance houses where surplus wealth is kept among us. That surplus wealth, produced by the cheap labor of peasants, must now be protected from the peasants by law and by military force.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Walter Brueggemann" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/it-is-astonishing-that-critical-scholarship-has-asked-forever-about/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cheap labor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/it-is-astonishing-that-critical-scholarship-has-asked-forever-about/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d1/walter-brueggemann-9698_cheap-labor_it-is-astonishing-that-critical-scholars_2607449.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d1/walter-brueggemann-9698_cheap-labor_it-is-astonishing-that-critical-scholars_2607449.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d1/walter-brueggemann-9698_cheap-labor_it-is-astonishing-that-critical-scholars_2607449.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is astonishing that critical scholarship has asked forever about the identification of these store-house…” — Walter Brueggemann", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Walter Brueggemann", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-brueggemann/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It is astonishing that critical scholarship...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/it-is-astonishing-that-critical-scholarship-has-asked-forever-about/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/it-is-astonishing-that-critical-scholarship-has-asked-forever-about/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```