Marxism and Race

This course introduces students to the political and social philosophy of Marxism, and poses a critical question. Can the philosophy, so grounded on economics and class oppression, properly account for the ills of racial oppression? In exploring this question, we will look at the theoretical work of Black revolutionaries inspired by Marxism, such as Angela Davis, W. E. B. Du Bois, Claudia Jones and Walter Rodney; as well as work by some contemporary philosophers. This course will familiarize students with the thought of historical figures, and different views of the relationship between racial and class oppression, and how they operate.