R+A 03 RACIAL CAPITALISM 2025
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Title: The Making of the Black Radical Tradition: Racial Capitalism
Presenter: Ben Gidley
Course: Racism & Antisemitism Week 3, January 2025
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Recap: Week 1-2
Key Concept: Racialisation
Exploration of pre-modern histories in Europe and the influence of Christian perspectives on race.
Historical ideas of blood and identity.
Key Concept: Primitive Accumulation
Relationship between Enclosure and colonialism, dispossession of Jews and Muslims.
Significance of the year 1492.
Evaluated limits of Marxism regarding its material explanations.
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1492
Aníbal Quijano's assertion: Systems of racial classification emerged primarily concerning Indigenous Americans and later Africans.
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1492
Sylvia Wynter discusses the context of Columbus’ voyages within broader historical events shaping the European global perspective.
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This Week's Focus:
Key Concept: Racial Capitalism
Discussion on the formation of the Black Radical Tradition.
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Origins of Racial Capitalism
The term first appeared in 1976 by Martin Legassick and David Hemson.
Suggested a reconsideration of racism's relationship with capitalism, especially in the context of apartheid in South Africa.
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Racial Capitalism and Economics
Marx and Engels noted capitalism would eliminate prejudices; however, in South Africa, racism intensified alongside capitalist growth.
Capitalism in apartheid SA was not a remnant of feudalism but a modern development.
Reading: Arun Kundnani, 2020, "What is Racial Capitalism?"
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Cedric Robinson's Contribution
Most recognized for "Black Marxism: The Making of the Black Radical Tradition" (1983).
His ideas and works have gained recognition over time despite initial neglect.
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Robinson's Early Life
Born in 1940, Oakland, California.
Active in student groups during college which later influenced the Black Panther Party.
Influenced by notable black nationalists and revolutionary movements.
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Robinson's Academic Struggles
PhD from Stanford in 1974 met with significant resistance from his committee.
"Black Marxism" primarily researched in the UK.
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Robinson in England (1978-1979)
Based at the Institute for Race Relations.
Leadership led by A. Sivanandan.
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Defining Racial Capitalism
Robinson's assertion that racism is integral and not merely incidental to capitalism's structure.
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Historical Context
For Robinson, racialism predates capitalism and is not restricted to a European narrative.
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Racial Capitalism Defined
Capitalism encompasses racial dynamics from the onset, particularly with the Atlantic slave trade and colonial practices.
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Robinson's Analysis Summary
Capitalism always involved racial capitalism influencing the organization and ideologies of society.
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The Role of Slave Labor
Robinson argues against categorizing slave labor as pre-capitalist, asserting it was integral to modern capitalism.
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Critique of Orthodox Marxism
Orthodox Marxism often overlooks the impact of racism and the Atlantic slave trade in economic development.
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Historical Interconnectedness
The trade and practices of slavery were key to shaping the modern world economically and socially.
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Robinson's Emphasis on Global History
Highlights the importance of both the Global South and European histories in understanding contemporary issues.
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Racism as Part of European History
Racialism existed in Europe before capitalism, affecting internal structures.
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European Civilization Dynamics
Capitalism did not unify but intensified the differentiation of races within Europe, as noted by Robinson.
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Bhattacharyya's Perspective
Emphasizes capitalism's tendency to differentiate over homogenization, contrary to traditional Marxist views.
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Cultural References
Discussion surrounding media representations of 'Barbarians' in historical and cultural contexts.
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Racism's Internal Origins
Robinson highlights racism's growth as part of Western civilization, integrating into capitalist frameworks.
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Proletariat and Racial Subjects
First European proletarians were racialized subjects experiencing dispossession and colonial impacts.
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Examining Linkages
Suggests reevaluating the chronological view of racism's evolution in Europe and its colonies.
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Muslim Influence on Portuguese Racial Constructs
Discusses the interplay between early European expansion and its racial classifications.
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Capitalist Continuity
Robinson asserts capitalism developed from feudal racism, cascading into a modern racial capitalism framework.
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Quijano's Coloniality of Power
Concept defining racial categories in the post-1492 era, merging European domination with colonial narratives.
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Valladolid Debate's Impact
Highlights how earlier racial superiority ideas were reframed within colonial discourse.
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Biological Aspects of Race
Quijano analyzes the role of biology and labor in shaping racial identities in colonialism.
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Wynter's Analysis
Discusses the new racist ideologies stemming from European encounters with Indigenous and African populations.
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Seminar Discussion Prompt
Exploring implications of racial capitalism on primitive accumulation and racialization discourses.
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Politics of Racial Capitalism
Investigating how Robinson's ideas resonate and challenge orthodox Marxism.
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Robinson's Black Radical Tradition
Characterizes the evolving resistance of African peoples with distinct qualitative foundations compared to Western traditions.
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Influential Figures
Mentions W.E.B. Du Bois, CLR James, and Richard Wright as key figures within the Black Radical Tradition.
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Du Bois on Race and Class
Discusses the intersection of race and class, emphasizing race’s role in societal divides.
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Du Bois' Legacy in Marxism
Advocates foregrounding the experiences of racialized laborers in Marxist theory.
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Agency in Resistance
Highlights the significance of slave rebellions in developing a consciousness of resistance.
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Cultural Histories
Stresses the importance of examining the cultural histories of enslaved fore-parents for understanding their resistance.
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Understanding Opposition
Examines the intricate dynamics of oppression and resistance among enslaved populations.
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Critical Questions
What is at stake in understanding racial capitalism?
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Critique of Racial Capitalism (David Harvey)
Considers race and gender as omnipresent but separate from capitalism’s core mechanisms.
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Harvey on Struggles
Discusses how struggles against racism identify sources of capitalism but do not reveal its fundamental operations.
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Harvey's View on BLM
Claims racial struggles are anti-racist but are not inherently anti-capitalist.
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Support for Racial Capitalism (Satnam Virdee)
Argues that racialized capitalism perspectives illuminate racism's structural role in capitalist modernity.
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Concept Expansion
Recognition of capitalism's deeply racialized nature sheds light on its operations.
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Issar's Argument Against Harvey
Critiques Harvey's separation of race and class in the context of neoliberal impacts on racialized populations.
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Seminar Discussion Prompt 2
Evaluating perspectives on Robinson’s notion of black Marxism and discussions surrounding racial capitalism.