Date: Fri, 18 Oct 1996 11:30:53 +0200 (SST)
From: RICHARD PITHOUSE <pithouse-AT-pixie.udw.ac.za>
Subject: Marxism and the Third World



Hieta 

As an African it is difficult to take class struggles in Europe and North 
America seriously. After all Harlem or London's East End are very NICE 
areas compared to the slums around African cities.

It seems to me that it is not legitimate to consider First World 
societies as monads since they have a profound impact on and, 
indeed, dominate the third world economically, politically and 
culturally. Does this not mean that analysis that looks 
exclusively at what happens within societies (instead of what happens 
between societies) gives support to the status quo? (ie it operates on 
the assumption that what happens between classes within one society is 
political but that what happens between societies is "natural")

Sometimes it seems to me that Western Marxism is about fighting for the 
spoils of economic imperialism to be distributed more equally amongst 
Western populations. I hope that I am wrong about this. Any constructive 
comments welcome.

Cheers
Richard
Pithouse-AT-pixie.udw.ac.za