I would recommend How Europe Underdeveloped Africa by Walter Rodney for these reasons:
The text hits the sweet spot of very easy to read and digest without sacrificing theoretical depth. I don't think I have read a single book that balance the two as well as Rodney. Parenti, compared to Rodney, is easy to read as Rodney but sacrifices theoretical depth. Most other recommended authors are denser reads than Rodney.
The text is also surprisingly funny given the subject matter, but it's a sardonic sense of humor.
The text doesn't just go over theory in terms of how to analyze the world, but actually demonstrates how to analyze the world, in this case Europe's continued exploitation of Africa. Most theoretical texts don't have a part that goes, "Here's the theory, now let's show you how to apply that theory with examples." They are like math textbooks without examples.
The text is about an often neglected part of history of an often neglected part of the world. Africa wasn't just pharaohs and dudes with bones in their noses running around naked and living in mud huts. Crucial to this, Rodney didn't just uncritically praise these past African kingdoms either. They were class societies too with an exploited worker class which Rodney points out.
The text isn't written by a dead white dude, but a dead Black dude who became dead because the Guyanese government thought he was too dangerous to be alive (Rodney was an organizer as well), so they assassinated him by rigging his car with a bomb.
ive been looking for something almost exactly like this, thanks!
on a very similar note, eduardo galeanos open veins of latin america is an absolutely excellent and very materialist look at centuries of western exploitation of latin america, and the material reasons for how it happened and why it played out in particular ways in different areas and times
Just keep in mind that Rodney has a very old-school definition of imperialism as "the exploitation of nation by nation," which is especially insufficient in the case of Africa both because of Europe's role in create nations in Africa and the plurinational nature of many European states (for example, Great Britain).
It's really good at demonstrating that domination is happening, but bad at explaining how it happens.
I would recommend How Europe Underdeveloped Africa by Walter Rodney for these reasons:
The text hits the sweet spot of very easy to read and digest without sacrificing theoretical depth. I don't think I have read a single book that balance the two as well as Rodney. Parenti, compared to Rodney, is easy to read as Rodney but sacrifices theoretical depth. Most other recommended authors are denser reads than Rodney.
The text is also surprisingly funny given the subject matter, but it's a sardonic sense of humor.
The text doesn't just go over theory in terms of how to analyze the world, but actually demonstrates how to analyze the world, in this case Europe's continued exploitation of Africa. Most theoretical texts don't have a part that goes, "Here's the theory, now let's show you how to apply that theory with examples." They are like math textbooks without examples.
The text is about an often neglected part of history of an often neglected part of the world. Africa wasn't just pharaohs and dudes with bones in their noses running around naked and living in mud huts. Crucial to this, Rodney didn't just uncritically praise these past African kingdoms either. They were class societies too with an exploited worker class which Rodney points out.
The text isn't written by a dead white dude, but a dead Black dude who became dead because the Guyanese government thought he was too dangerous to be alive (Rodney was an organizer as well), so they assassinated him by rigging his car with a bomb.
ive been looking for something almost exactly like this, thanks!
on a very similar note, eduardo galeanos open veins of latin america is an absolutely excellent and very materialist look at centuries of western exploitation of latin america, and the material reasons for how it happened and why it played out in particular ways in different areas and times
These two recs are key to honing a modern Marxist internationalist imo, imo
Just keep in mind that Rodney has a very old-school definition of imperialism as "the exploitation of nation by nation," which is especially insufficient in the case of Africa both because of Europe's role in create nations in Africa and the plurinational nature of many European states (for example, Great Britain).
It's really good at demonstrating that domination is happening, but bad at explaining how it happens.
Organize Your Workplace
:iww: