There Are No Utopias

In this book, Cedric Robinson critiques Marxism and its reliance on determinism, introducing the theory of racial capitalism and tracing the roots of Black radical thought. The book is divided into three parts: 'The Emergence and Limitations of European Radicalism', 'The Roots of Black Radicalism', and 'Black Radicalism and Marxist Theory'. Robinson argues that all capitalism is structured by racialism, producing inequalities among groups, and he examines the lives and works of key Black radical thinkers such as W. E. B. Du Bois, C. L. R. James, and Richard Wright. The book challenges traditional Marxist and European historiography, highlighting the significance of Black resistance and the Black radical tradition in understanding modernity, nationalism, and capitalism[1][2][5].

Robin Kelly's "Hammer and the Ho" provides a detailed account of the Communist Party's activities in Alabama during the Great Depression. The book highlights the party's significant influence among African Americans, particularly in the Black Belt region. Kelly examines the reasons for the party's popularity, including its advocacy for equal rights and its efforts to improve the lives of sharecroppers and farmers. The work explores the party's organizational structure, its strategies for mobilization, and its impact on the broader civil rights movement. Kelly's research sheds light on a crucial, often overlooked, chapter in the history of American communism and its intersection with the struggle for racial justice.