Dignity Not Debt: An Abolitionist Approach to Economic Justice

An earth-shaking reimagining of household debt that opens up a new path to financial security for all Americans.

American households have a debt problem. The problem is not, as often claimed, that Americans recklessly take on too much debt. The problem is that US debt policies have no basis in reality. Weaving together the histories and trends of US debt policy with her own family story, Chrystin Ondersma debunks the myths that have long governed debt policy, like the belief that debt leads to prosperity or the claim that bad debt is the result of bad choices, both of which nest in the overarching myth of a free market unhindered by government interference and accessible to all.

In place of these stale narratives, Ondersma offers a compelling, flexible, and reality-based taxonomy rooted in the internationally recognized principle of human dignity. Ondersma’s new categories of debt--grounded in abolitionist principles--revolutionize how policymakers are able to think about debt, which will in turn revolutionize the American debt landscape itself.

Chrystin Ondersma is a law professor at Rutgers Law School and an internationally recognized expert in bankruptcy and household debt. Her scholarship has been featured in numerous publications, podcasts, news articles, and conferences.