Introduction
What is racial capitalism and why does it matter? Watch and listen to these resources by Robin D.G. Kelly, a Professor of US history at the University of California.
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Robin D. G. Kelley: What Is Racial Capitalism and Why Does It Matter?
“Robin D. G. Kelley, a preeminent US historian, explains racial capitalism and the making of global capitalism over the course of the last 700 years. Kelley then turns to a meditation on fascism, not as an aberration but as a direct outgrowth of modern racial capitalism, and reflects on what all of this means now.
Professor Robin D.G. Kelley discusses the concept of racial capitalism and its greater political implications. This talk was given on November 7, 2017 at Kane Hall, University of Washington, Seattle, WA and was sponsored by the UW Simpson Center for the Humanities.”
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Racial Capitalism with Robin D. G. Kelley, Art of Citizenry
“From slavery to Jim Crow, from colonial conquest to today’s global labor exploitation—racism has always been foundational to capitalism. But what exactly is racial capitalism, and how does it continue to shape our economy and daily lives?
In this episode, Manpreet Kaur Kalra sits down with renowned historian Robin D. G. Kelley to unravel how capitalism has always been a racialized and gendered colonial project. Together, they examine how systemic racism is ingrained in economic structures, shaping everything from labor practices and property rights to state power and global migration.
If the goal is liberation, two things have to go: modern capitalism and systemic racism. – Robin D. G. Kelley, Gary B. Nash Endowed Chair in U.S. History at UCLA
Dr. Kelley makes clear that racial capitalism isn’t just history, it’s the blueprint behind our current economic order. Understanding its roots and mechanisms is critical to any movement seeking genuine liberation and systemic change.” – Source
About Robin D.G. Kelley
“Robin D. G. Kelley is Distinguished Professor and Gary B. Nash Endowed Chair in US History at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is the author of Africa Speaks, America Answers: Modern Jazz in Revolutionary Times (2012), Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original (2009), and Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination (2002). His research has explored the history of social movements in the US, the African Diaspora, and Africa; black intellectuals; music; visual culture; contemporary urban studies; historiography and historical theory; poverty studies and ethnography; colonialism/imperialism; organized labor; constructions of race; Surrealism, Marxism, nationalism, among other things.” – Source
Explore Further
- What Did Cedric Robinson Mean by Racial Capitalism? Boston Review, Robin D.G. Kelley
- Definition of Racial Capitalism, Keywords in Race, Colonialism, and Diaspora Studies, Tufts University
- Racial Capitalism, Global Social Theory
- Racial Capitalism, Harvard Law Review, Nancy Leong
- Australian racial capitalism, Indigenous exploitation and the racial regime of recognition and reconciliation