Book contents
- Property, Institutions, and Social Stratification in Africa
- Property, Institutions, and Social Stratification in Africa
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Preface
- Part I The Problem
- Part II Problematic Explanations and Solutions
- Part III Alternatives
- 7 Socialisms
- 8 Africanisms
- Concluding the Groundwork for a New Political Economy of the Global South
- Bibliography
- Index
7 - Socialisms
from Part III - Alternatives
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 27 March 2020
- Property, Institutions, and Social Stratification in Africa
- Property, Institutions, and Social Stratification in Africa
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Preface
- Part I The Problem
- Part II Problematic Explanations and Solutions
- Part III Alternatives
- 7 Socialisms
- 8 Africanisms
- Concluding the Groundwork for a New Political Economy of the Global South
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Socialism is one alternative for Africa. Although pronounced dead at the end of the twentieth century when its struggle with capitalism was formally ended with the former being forced to surrender to the later, the persistent and worsening maladies of capitalism as a system must lead to further discussion of socialisms. Founded on the basis that nothing substantially good can come from capitalism, a system based on exploitation, wage theft, burn out, plunder, and ecological crises on a world scale, socialism promises a link between a more social world and the good society. Two of its defining features are the redistribution of land and the nationalization of industry. Does this cluster of options constitute a firmer and more reliable path to inclusive African development? Using examples such as the land reform in Zimbabwe, the chapter argues that, although the Marxist critique of capitalism has been relentless and long-standing (especially its rejection of capitalism and imperialism), and in many cases quite successful, its analytical reach can be extended and its policy and political alternatives can be reoriented.
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- Information
- Property, Institutions, and Social Stratification in Africa , pp. 219 - 235Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2020