Reviews

The assembly of topics here is stunning - he starts with a justification for talking about Marxism and Scientific Socialism in Africa, then moves on to the effects of slavery and colonialism on the continent. He narrows in on Tanzania in particular to assess the formation of class relations and the development of Ujamaa in the post-colonial period, but he does it so rigorously and never veering away from dialectical materialism. By ending it with two brief essays on transition and decolonization, he reminds us not only how crucial it is to study Marx, but how one can apply Marx to the African continent. One of the parts I found most interesting was how unsparing he is in his criticisms of some African leaders who consider themselves socialists but in reality only serve to maintain the (neo)colonial apparatus, and in doing so he brilliantly documents how the transition from colonialism to decolonial marxism can hit a snag at a neocolonial state. By effortlessly weaving in Fanon's theories from Wretched of the Earth, he also introduces a great discussion about nationalism and the emergence of a national bourgeoisie. This is one of the best books to come out this year, and it's something we all need to read and read again.

alexeulrich's review against another edition

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informative slow-paced

3.5

breadandmushrooms's review against another edition

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challenging informative reflective slow-paced

5.0

rzarate9696's review against another edition

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challenging informative slow-paced

4.5

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