Personhood
Personhood
This chapter explains the reworking of corporate sovereignty in the context of modern U.S. corporate law by describing corporate personhood and analyzing 19th- and early-20th-century literature of lawyers, political economists, and public figures to understand how corporations changed from fundamental institutions of government into private, capitalist firms. It discusses corporate personhood as a retroactive attempt to rationalize an institution connected with early modern models of sovereignty and police within the juridical framework of a liberal capitalist political economy that centers on concepts of personhood, rights, and citizenship. The chapter also reviews Matt Wuerker’s drawing “Corpenstein”, which echo earlier presentations of corporations as monsters.
Keywords: corporate sovereignty, U.S. corporate law, capitalist firms, corporate personhood, capitalist political economy, rights, citizenship, Matt Wuerker, Corpenstein
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