Exploring the Black and Chicano Radical Tradition and its Contributions to Marxism

• In Event: 50258 - Contributions to Black Marxism

Abstract

A persistent tension exists in the study of racial and class-based inequalities, particularly in analyzing racialized labor exploitation. Structural racism and Marxist traditions both offer critical insights, yet at times these perspectives have had major divisions in acknowledging how they intersect. Insightful perspectives from the Black Radical Tradition, such as W.E.B. Du Bois, Oliver Cox, and Frantz Fanon, paved the way to demonstrate how both race and class intersect when analyzing race, labor, colonialism, and capitalism. As I reflect on these theoretical insights in my own analysis of racialized labor exploitation of Latino workers, I have been aiming to understand where a Chicano Radical Tradition may fit into these insights into race and class discussions. In fact, both the Black and Chicano Radical Traditions overlap in their analysis of race and class inequalities that at times incorporate the Marxist tradition. This work explores the historical and theoretical foundations of the Chicano Radical Tradition, its intersections with Marxism, and its relevance for understanding racialized labor exploitation today.

Author

• Juan Salinas, University of North Florida