Meier, Brian2010-01-132010-01-132008-01-01Social Thought and Research, Volume 29 (2008), pp. 155-160 http://dx.doi.org/10.17161/STR.1808.5695https://hdl.handle.net/1808/5695A list of the most seminal works in political economy of the twentieth century would have to include Karl Polanyi’s The Great Transformation: The Political and Economic Origins of Our Time. Known for its seething portrayal of self-regulated market society as a “stark utopia” (Polanyi 2001:3), The Great Transformation confronts the concept of market society and reveals its historical tendencies and struggles. Polanyi eloquently attacks the idea of a purely self-regulated market society and shows that its history has been one of constant struggles for balance between personal gain and societal well-being.en-USArticle10.17161/STR.1808.5695openAccess