{"product_id":"how-europe-underdeveloped-africa-walter-rodney-9781788731188","title":"How Europe Underdeveloped Africa | Walter Rodney","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eForeword by Angela Davis\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHow did deliberate colonial policies systematically impoverish a resource-rich continent? \u003cstrong\u003eWalter Rodney \u003c\/strong\u003einvestigates in \u003cem\u003eHow Europe Underdeveloped Africa\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eAbout the Book:\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe classic work of political, economic, and historical analysis, powerfully introduced by Angela Davis\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn his short life, the Guyanese intellectual Walter Rodney emerged as one of the leading thinkers and activists of the anticolonial revolution, leading movements in North America, South America, the African continent, and the Caribbean.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn each locale, Rodney found himself a lightning rod for working class Black Power.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHis deportation catalyzed 20th century Jamaica's most significant rebellion, the 1968 Rodney riots, and his scholarship trained a generation how to think politics at an international scale.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1980, shortly after founding of the Working People's Alliance in Guyana, the 38-year-old Rodney would be assassinated.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn his magnum opus, How Europe Underdeveloped Africa, Rodney incisively argues that grasping \"the great divergence\" between the west and the rest can only be explained as the exploitation of the latter by the former.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis meticulously researched analysis of the abiding repercussions of European colonialism on the continent of Africa has not only informed decades of scholarship and activism, it remains an indispensable study for grasping global inequality today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eSummary:\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEconomic exploitation, imperialist policies, and historical inequality. Walter Rodney delivers a groundbreaking critique in \u003cem\u003eHow Europe Underdeveloped Africa\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eFrequently Asked Questions About \u003cem\u003eHow Europe Underdeveloped Africa\u003c\/em\u003e:\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eQ: \u003c\/strong\u003eIs this book an abstract economic textbook or a narrative history?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA: \u003c\/strong\u003eThis text is a masterwork of political economy and global history. Instead of relying on dry, isolated statistical data, it uses a compelling, systemic narrative to analyze how international trade, slavery, and colonial rule directly shaped the modern structural divide between the West and Africa.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eQ: \u003c\/strong\u003eWhat is the core thesis or economic argument presented by the author?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA: \u003c\/strong\u003eWalter Rodney challenges the idea that African \"underdevelopment\" is a natural state due to geography or internal failures. Instead, he presents a Marxist framework proving that European industrial development and wealth were directly fueled by the systemic extraction of Africa's natural resources and human labor, meaning the two regions developed in direct, inverse proportion to each other.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eQ: \u003c\/strong\u003eDoes this specific Verso edition contain any unique features or modern additions?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA: \u003c\/strong\u003eYes. This premium edition features a powerful, extensive modern foreword by the iconic activist and scholar Angela Davis. Her introduction analyzes Rodney's enduring legacy and links his historic post-colonial scholarship directly to contemporary anti-imperialist and intersectional feminist movements.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eQ:\u003c\/strong\u003e Who was Walter Rodney and what credentials did he bring to this research?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA:\u003c\/strong\u003e Dr. Walter Rodney was an internationally renowned Guyanese historian, intellectual, and prominent Pan-African activist. He earned his Ph.D. in African History from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and taught globally before his political organizing as a founder of the Working People's Alliance led to his tragic assassination in Guyana at age 38.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eQ: \u003c\/strong\u003eDoes the book blame outside forces entirely, or does it address internal responsibilities?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA:\u003c\/strong\u003e It balances historical extraction with internal political critique. While showing how colonial monopolies structurally damaged African economies, Rodney also analyzes the compliance of certain historical African elites. He actively argues that a clear understanding of this historical architecture is essential for modern citizens to successfully dismantle neocolonial economic dependencies today.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eAbout the Author:\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWalter Rodney: \u003c\/strong\u003eGuyanese Historian\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWalter Rodney \u003c\/strong\u003ewas an internationally renowned historian of colonialism and a leader of Black Power and Pan-African movements across the diaspora, most notably the Guyanese Working People's Alliance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHis life and work brought together struggles for independence on the African continent with the strivings of the black working classes of North America and the Caribbean basin. On June the 13th, 1980, Rodney was assassinated, most likely by the then-president of Guyana.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"\u003eHe was 38 years old.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eBibliographic Data:\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFull Title: \u003c\/strong\u003eHow Europe Underdeveloped Africa\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor(s): \u003c\/strong\u003eWalter Rodney (Featuring a Foreword by Angela Davis)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher \u0026amp; Imprint:\u003c\/strong\u003e Verso Books\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e November 27, 2018\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBinding Format:\u003c\/strong\u003e Trade Paperback\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCondition:\u003c\/strong\u003e Pre-Owned \/ Very Good\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEdition: \u003c\/strong\u003eReprint \/ New Edition Profile\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePrint Length:\u003c\/strong\u003e 416 Pages\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLanguage: \u003c\/strong\u003eEnglish\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eISBN-13: \u003c\/strong\u003e9781788731188\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eISBN-10: \u003c\/strong\u003e1788731182\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLibrary of Congress (LCCN): \u003c\/strong\u003e73-162981\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePrimary Genre (BISAC): \u003c\/strong\u003eHISTORY \/ Africa \/ General\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSub-Genres (BISAC): \u003c\/strong\u003ePOLITICAL SCIENCE \/ Political Economy; SOCIAL SCIENCE \/ Discrimination \u0026amp; Race Relations; HISTORY \/ Europe \/ General\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions: \u003c\/strong\u003e5.5 x 1.1 x 8.0 inches\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWeight: \u003c\/strong\u003e14.4 oz (approx. 0.90 lbs)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eGrab Your Copy Today!\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eExplore the monumental economic history of colonialism, trade exploitation, and modern inequality. Tap to discover Walter Rodney's masterpiece today!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Bust-Down Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49836560679227,"sku":"1788731182","price":28.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0855\/2077\/7531\/files\/9781788731188.jpg?v=1777300859","url":"https:\/\/bustdownbooks.com\/products\/how-europe-underdeveloped-africa-walter-rodney-9781788731188","provider":"Bust-Down Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}