Overview of Session
Discussion of Walter Rodney's work on slavery and underdevelopment.
Introduction of a film related to the themes discussed in class.
Previous Class Recap
Focused on Rosa Luxemburg and W. E. B. Du Bois as thinkers who extended Marx's theories to account for global capitalism.
Rosa Luxemburg
Critiques the assumption of a universal capitalist system composed only of workers and capitalists.
Asserts the need for non-capitalist economies to export their surplus commodities:
Capitalism requires colonization of the globe.
Example: Cotton in India.
Example: Corn in Mexico.
W. E. B. Du Bois
Discusses the capitalist colonization of Africa leading to World War I.
Critiques how capitalist society in Europe drew in more workers:
Peasants and serfs moved to cities for wage labor.
Labor forces become consumers detached from means of subsistence.
Emphasizes the global color line as an organizing principle, focusing on:
Internal conflicts within European societies and labor movements.
Division between skilled and unskilled labor in Europe, termed the aristocracy of labor.
Suggests shared racial projects involving imperialism, impacting African Americans and Afro-descended people.
Presentation of Walter Rodney
Biography
Born in 1942, died in 1980, from Guyana, South America.
Studied in Jamaica and the UK; taught in Tanzania and Jamaica.
Expelled from Jamaica due to political tensions, leading to riots in his support.
Advocated for a multiracial working-class alliance in Guyana before his assassination.
Key Texts
"How Europe Underdeveloped Africa" is his notable work discussing economic history and underdevelopment.
His writings align with a Marxist analysis of global capitalism.
World Systems Theory
Developed as an explanation of global economic disparities.
Emphasizes:
Capitalism as a global movement rather than just a series of national developments.
Differentiation between developed core (global North) and underdeveloped periphery (global South).
Rodney critiques the notion of linear development paths and emphasizes active underdevelopment of regions.
Historical Perspective
Describes the impact of the slave trade on Africa, highlighting:
Human beings as productive forces taken from Africa, hindering local economic development.
Colonialism continued this process:
It restructured African societies, imposing wage labor and capitalist market relations.
Focus on Guyana
Economic Analysis
Rodney's examination of Guyana emphasizes:
Sugar plantations and their role in the global capitalist system.
Planters focused on maintaining power by preventing local economic development.
Key extractive industries such as timber and mining not pursued adequately by plantation owners.
Anti-developmental interests of planters who preferred reliance on imported goods and labor, thus avoiding competition.
Environmental Considerations
Discussion of monoculture and its ecological impacts:
Sugar production hampered local ecosystems.
Rodney noted the ongoing pattern of exploitative practices from core to periphery thereby maintaining a systematic hierarchy.
Film Presentation
Content Warning
The film depicts violent imagery relating to slavery and labor conditions in industrial settings.
It aims to provoke thought on the historical context linking slavery, capitalism, and modern labor exploitation.
In-Class Discussion
Initial reactions to film's portrayal of the relationship between slavery and capitalism:
Review of surplus value in contexts of both slavery and wage labor.
Discussion on how labor extraction in slavery reflects the extreme exploitation of workers.
Further Analysis of Race and Capitalism
The film's commentary on how race continues to stratify labor;
Black workers often occupy positions of lesser power and compensation relative to their white counterparts, representing ongoing systemic racism in the labor market.
Historical Context of Unions
Reflection on the evolution of unions:
Organizations initially formed to protect workers often succumbed to bureaucracy and interests aligned with management due to pressures such as the Red Scare.
The dynamics of labor struggles through historical transitions noted, with insight drawn from Rodney and Du Bois.
Political Implications
Rodney's Theories
Rodney emphasized the interconnectedness in labor exploitation across history and geography:
Importance of collaborative movements among diverse racial and ethnic groups in seeking justice and dismantling oppressive systems.
Advocated for a multiplicity of voices within labor movements to challenge systemic inequalities.
Ongoing Relevance
Conclusively ties back to the modern implications of labor exploitation, environmental degradation, and global capitalism in the contemporary context:
The need for analysis that equally addresses both historical and contemporary issues in labor rights and economic equity.
Closing Reflections
Encouraged to partake in further readings and discussions on Rodney’s critical perspectives to enrich understanding of labor and economic relations today.