Race as Ideology: A Marxist Analysis

Marx on American Civil War and Slavery

Marx is known for his voluminous writing on Capital, but he also had a lengthy career as a journalist. As a journalist he wrote a lot about different topics, covering affairs of the world. During this time he covered in great detail the American Civil War as it was happening and offered his clear perspective on the topic as well as that of slavery. Marx also was actively involved in the efforts of the European socialist movement as it supported the fight to end slavery whole heartedly.

Race is not real, but a social construct." Most socialists would agree with this statement, not to belittle the impact race and racism have on the political landscape, but in an attempt to describe something fundamentally true. The idea of a person's "race" did not always exist, and has morphed and shifted throughout history and across social contexts. In the United States, our ideas about race are still rooted in the history of slavery, and how the colonies slowly formed a unique national identity.

In this session of our series of Marx on the Margins, we will look at these writings and what they can teach us.