Front Matter -- Contents -- Preface -- The Problem -- Religion, Capitalism and the Rise of Double-Entry Bookkeeping -- Market and Oikos: Basics in the West -- How to Bring Cows to Athens -- A Fascinating Oikos -- Oikoïdal Qualities: Rasse, Volk and Nation -- Market or Oikoïdal Religion: The Case of “Ancient Judaism” -- Market and Oikos: Basics in the West -- Settlers Between East and West -- On the Origin of Market Relations in (Asian) History -- Town and Country in Chinese History: An Overview -- Toward a Market–Oikos Theory -- Old Market-Oikos Theories -- A Sparring Partner for All Seasons -- Epilogue.

Probably the most fundamental relationship in human history is that of the Market versus the Oikos (= the authoritarian ruled house, family, household or the State). Its main features and elements are analysed and newly defined as are its relations with town–country antagonisms or capitalism, nation, race, religion, and so on. Because it concerns a rather universal relationship, the definitions of the relevant elements are developed over time (from ancient Greeks to Nazi contexts) and place (in the West and the East, particularly China). Max Weber is chosen as our “sparring partner,” starting with his popular analysis of the relationship of capitalism and religion in the West and of Chinese society in the East