Black Marxism: The Making of the Black Radical Tradition

(Paperback)

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A foundational work of Black Radical critical theory, now to be widely available here for the first time Any struggle must be fought on a people's own terms, argues Cedric Robinson's landmark account of Black radicalism. Marxism is a western construction, and therefore inadequate to describe the significance of Black communities as agents of change against 'racial capitalism'. Tracing the emergence of European radicalism, the history of Black African resistance and the influence of these on such key thinkers as W. E. B. Du Bois, C. L. R. James and Richard Wright, Black Marxism reclaims the story of a movement.

Reviews

A towering achievement. There is simply nothing like it in the history of Black radical thought -- Cornel West
Cedric Robinson's brilliant analyses revealed new ways of thinking and acting -- Angela Davis
I can say, without a trace of hyperbole, that this book changed my life. -- Robin Kelley
Black Marxism shattered the taken-for-granted of understanding the modern world, allowing us to see the racist nature of capitalism. There are very few books that transform how we have to approach the world and Black Marxism is one of them -- Kehinde Andrews
A handbook for a new generation of radicals and activists ... Robinson's work helpfully points to the tension in Marxism between the march towards progress and the spontaneous character of revolution... offers a sense of belonging and a means of imagining a common future -- Kevin Okoth * London Review of Books *

Author Bio

Cedric Robinson was a professor in the Department of Black Studies and the Department of Political Science at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He headed the Department of Black Studies and the Department of Political Science and served as the Director of the Center for Black Studies Research.