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A review by seeceeread
Black Marxism: The Making of the Black Radical Tradition by Cedric J. Robinson
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
💠"We are concerned with how real men and women (and children) experienced dislocation, poverty, and the exploitation of their labor and reacted to them; how they employed the intellectual and emotional inventories available to them to come to terms with their experience."
A post-doc level exploration of Black memes, with a nod to how they reflect rich cultural traditions that predate ___ [pick an app] by generations. Robinson nods to jazz, periodicals, organized labor and more, but chapter six is a standout for its enumeration of rebellions of the enslaved in Americas.
A historical dragging: Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin were limited, baby - by their own experiences (like the rest of us!) Black radicals may have more freedom to observe without dogma and dream with abandon — because our tradition lacks 'sacred texts.' Because our tradition is often forged in the fiery depths of earnest engagement with Western institutions. Because our tradition leans back into the emergence of lived rebellion against the propagandized "Negro."
The author's diction, lengthy clause-cluttered sentences and assumptions of readers' prior knowledge (especially in the first three chapters) make this esoteric. Still, Robinson's tongue-in-cheek wit and key ideas come through intact, especially when he pares down to essentials: "Historically, slavery [in the Americas] was a critical foundation for capitalism." He's also skilled at citing otgers' pith: "There is no doubt that misfortune can bring about the brotherhood of the unfortunate. • Count of Arcos"
Robinson is often critical of historical simplifications. At times, he proffers bold new ideas to counter academic peers, such as his conception of a "gray" race of European laborers whose social status lies between the "ruling classes in dramatic, white relief" and workers of color.
I'm going to need to read again. But . . . after a while, when it's significantly simmered.
A post-doc level exploration of Black memes, with a nod to how they reflect rich cultural traditions that predate ___ [pick an app] by generations. Robinson nods to jazz, periodicals, organized labor and more, but chapter six is a standout for its enumeration of rebellions of the enslaved in Americas.
A historical dragging: Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin were limited, baby - by their own experiences (like the rest of us!) Black radicals may have more freedom to observe without dogma and dream with abandon — because our tradition lacks 'sacred texts.' Because our tradition is often forged in the fiery depths of earnest engagement with Western institutions. Because our tradition leans back into the emergence of lived rebellion against the propagandized "Negro."
The author's diction, lengthy clause-cluttered sentences and assumptions of readers' prior knowledge (especially in the first three chapters) make this esoteric. Still, Robinson's tongue-in-cheek wit and key ideas come through intact, especially when he pares down to essentials: "Historically, slavery [in the Americas] was a critical foundation for capitalism." He's also skilled at citing otgers' pith: "There is no doubt that misfortune can bring about the brotherhood of the unfortunate. • Count of Arcos"
Robinson is often critical of historical simplifications. At times, he proffers bold new ideas to counter academic peers, such as his conception of a "gray" race of European laborers whose social status lies between the "ruling classes in dramatic, white relief" and workers of color.
I'm going to need to read again. But . . . after a while, when it's significantly simmered.