12 - The Petty Bourgeoisie in the Thought of Amilcar Cabral and Walter Rodney
CODESRIA Bulletin,
No. 05-06 (2024): CODESRIA Bulletin, Nos 05-06, 2024
Abstract
Paper presented to the International Symposium entitled: ‘Amilcar Cabral: A national and universal heritage’, in commemoration of the centenary of Cabral’s birth held at Cabo Verde and Guinea-Bissau from 9 to 12 September, 2024
On Petty Bourgeoisie
One of the most debated ideas of Amilcar Cabral is that of the suicide of the petty bourgeoisie. Much has been written on this idea, a few in con- text but much out of context, thinking of it as a dictum or an edict. In revisiting this statement, I want to locate it in its historical and political context: why it was said, in what context and with what political purpose in mind. Cabral and Walter Rodney always emphasised the specificity of discourse—to be concrete and contextual and dis- cuss concepts and ideas emanating from our own specific conditions and political practices. Before I do this, it is relevant to discuss the social category of petty bourgeoisie, which both Cabral and Rodney used freely in their writings. This is important because their meaning of ‘petty bourgeoisie’, particularly in the political context, is slightly diJerent from that of the Marxist classics.
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- Amin, S., 1990, ‘Preface’, in Mahjoub, A. ed., Adjustment or Delinking? The African Experience, London: Zed Books, pp. ix–xvi.
- Cabral, A., [1964] 1969, ‘A brief analysis of the social structure of Guinea’, in Cabral, Revolution in Guinea: An African People’s Struggle, London: Stage I, pp. 46–61.
- Cabral, A., [1966] 1969, ‘The weapon of theory’, in Cabral, Revolution in Guinea: An African People’s Struggle, London: Stage I, pp. 73–90.
- Durrani, S., 2024, From Mau Mau to RutoMustGo: Essays on Kenya’s Struggle for Liberation, Nairobi: Vita Books, pp.14–20.
- Fanon, F., 1967, The Wretched of the Earth, London: Penguin Books.
- Foster-Carter, A., 1973, ‘The sounds of silence; class struggle in Tan- zania’, in MajiMaji, No. 11, pp. 12–24.
- Freire, P., [1970] 1993, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, 30th anniversary edition, New York & London: Continuum.
- James, C. L. R., 2021, A History of Pan-African Revolt, 3rd ed., Oak- land, CA: PM Press.
- Kwayana, E., Drake, P., Lalljie, R. and Seecharan, C., 2009, Walter Rodney: His Last Days and Cam- paigns, Birmingham, AL: R. Fer- dinand-Lalljie Publishers.
- Macey, D., 2000, Frantz Fanon: A Life, London: Granta Books. Marx, K., [1847] 1976, ‘The poverty of philosophy’, in Marx &
- Engels, 1976, Collected Works, vol. 6, pp. 104–212.
- Marx, K., [1852] 1973, ‘The Eighteenth Brumaire of Lou- is Bonaparte’, in Fernbach, D., Surveys from Exile, vol. 2, pp. 143–249.
- Marx, K. and Engels, F., [1850] 1973, ‘The Communist Manifesto’, in Fernbach, D., ed, The Revolutions of 1948, vol. 1, London: Penguin
- Books, pp. 62–69.
- Rodney, P., Rodney, A. T., Benja-min, J., Gibrill, H. and Abraha, S., 2013, ‘Walter Rodney and Amilcar Cabral: Common commitments and connected praxis’, in Manji, F. and Fletcher Jr., B. eds. 2013, Claim No Victories: The Legacy of Amilcar Cabral, Dakar: CODESRIA and Ottawa: Daraja Press, pp. 297–314.
- Rodney, W., 1975a, ‘Aspects of the international class struggle in Africa, the Caribbean and Amer- ica’ (Paper presented to the 6th Pan-African Conference in Dar es Salaam). Available at https://www.marxists.org/subject/africa/rodney-walter/works/internationalclassstruggle.htm
- Rodney, W., 1975b, ‘Class contradic- tions in Tanzania’. Available at https://www.marxists.org/subject/africa/rodney-walter/works/classcontradictions.htm
- Rodney, W., [1975] 1990, Walter Rod- ney Speaks: The Making of an African Intellectual, Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press.
- Shivji, I. G., 1975, Class Struggles in Tanzania, Dar es Salaam: Tanza- nia Publishing House. Also pub- lished by Monthly Review Press, New York, 1976.
- Shivji, I. G., 2017, ‘The concept of the working people in agrarian south’, vol. 6, no. 1: pp. 1–13.
- Shivji, I. G. et al, 2020, Development as Rebellion: A Biography of Julius Nyerere, Dar es Salaam: Mkuki na Nyota.
- Slovo, J., 1988, ‘The South African working class and the national democratic revolution’. Available at https://www.marxists.org/subject/africa/slovo/1988/national-democratic-revolution.htm
- Zeilig, L., 2022, A Revolutionary for Our Time: The Walter Rodney Story, Chicago, IL: Haymarket Books.
References
Amin, S., 1990, ‘Preface’, in Mahjoub, A. ed., Adjustment or Delinking? The African Experience, London: Zed Books, pp. ix–xvi.
Cabral, A., [1964] 1969, ‘A brief analysis of the social structure of Guinea’, in Cabral, Revolution in Guinea: An African People’s Struggle, London: Stage I, pp. 46–61.
Cabral, A., [1966] 1969, ‘The weapon of theory’, in Cabral, Revolution in Guinea: An African People’s Struggle, London: Stage I, pp. 73–90.
Durrani, S., 2024, From Mau Mau to RutoMustGo: Essays on Kenya’s Struggle for Liberation, Nairobi: Vita Books, pp.14–20.
Fanon, F., 1967, The Wretched of the Earth, London: Penguin Books.
Foster-Carter, A., 1973, ‘The sounds of silence; class struggle in Tan- zania’, in MajiMaji, No. 11, pp. 12–24.
Freire, P., [1970] 1993, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, 30th anniversary edition, New York & London: Continuum.
James, C. L. R., 2021, A History of Pan-African Revolt, 3rd ed., Oak- land, CA: PM Press.
Kwayana, E., Drake, P., Lalljie, R. and Seecharan, C., 2009, Walter Rodney: His Last Days and Cam- paigns, Birmingham, AL: R. Fer- dinand-Lalljie Publishers.
Macey, D., 2000, Frantz Fanon: A Life, London: Granta Books. Marx, K., [1847] 1976, ‘The poverty of philosophy’, in Marx &
Engels, 1976, Collected Works, vol. 6, pp. 104–212.
Marx, K., [1852] 1973, ‘The Eighteenth Brumaire of Lou- is Bonaparte’, in Fernbach, D., Surveys from Exile, vol. 2, pp. 143–249.
Marx, K. and Engels, F., [1850] 1973, ‘The Communist Manifesto’, in Fernbach, D., ed, The Revolutions of 1948, vol. 1, London: Penguin
Books, pp. 62–69.
Rodney, P., Rodney, A. T., Benja-min, J., Gibrill, H. and Abraha, S., 2013, ‘Walter Rodney and Amilcar Cabral: Common commitments and connected praxis’, in Manji, F. and Fletcher Jr., B. eds. 2013, Claim No Victories: The Legacy of Amilcar Cabral, Dakar: CODESRIA and Ottawa: Daraja Press, pp. 297–314.
Rodney, W., 1975a, ‘Aspects of the international class struggle in Africa, the Caribbean and Amer- ica’ (Paper presented to the 6th Pan-African Conference in Dar es Salaam). Available at https://www.marxists.org/subject/africa/rodney-walter/works/internationalclassstruggle.htm
Rodney, W., 1975b, ‘Class contradic- tions in Tanzania’. Available at https://www.marxists.org/subject/africa/rodney-walter/works/classcontradictions.htm
Rodney, W., [1975] 1990, Walter Rod- ney Speaks: The Making of an African Intellectual, Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press.
Shivji, I. G., 1975, Class Struggles in Tanzania, Dar es Salaam: Tanza- nia Publishing House. Also pub- lished by Monthly Review Press, New York, 1976.
Shivji, I. G., 2017, ‘The concept of the working people in agrarian south’, vol. 6, no. 1: pp. 1–13.
Shivji, I. G. et al, 2020, Development as Rebellion: A Biography of Julius Nyerere, Dar es Salaam: Mkuki na Nyota.
Slovo, J., 1988, ‘The South African working class and the national democratic revolution’. Available at https://www.marxists.org/subject/africa/slovo/1988/national-democratic-revolution.htm
Zeilig, L., 2022, A Revolutionary for Our Time: The Walter Rodney Story, Chicago, IL: Haymarket Books.