About the Book

This reflection on the situation in the countries of the global South examines their shared but diverse experiences of the hard facts of poverty and exclusion in the world of capitalist globalization. It probes the reality of ‘underdevelopment‘ in an unequal world, driven by western power and capitalist profit-seeking and supported by inequalities within the countries of the ‘Third World‘ themselves. John Saul suggests fresh ways to consider the dynamics of this situation, and seeks to rethink the ways of linking a class-based struggle with the progressive demands of gender equality and identity politics. He looks towards a synthesis of democratic, socialist, and anti-imperialist sensibilities and invites scholars and activists alike to involve themselves in the kind of intellectual activism that can underpin local, national, regional and global struggles.

Commendations

"John Saul is one of Canada‘s most persuasive public commentators on Southern African politics. (He also) has been enormously influential in academic circles, in part because he demonstrates how a flexible and non-dogmatic Marxism can bring fresh insights." - Jonathan Crush, Queens‘ University, review of Saul‘s earlier book, Socialist Ideology and the Struggle for Southern Africa, in Southern Africa Report magazine

"[Saul‘s] writings are all about instilling hope and learning from failure…. He is in a sort of underground, alternate Canadian tradition to the internationalism of Lester Pearson, (one that) includes Dr. Norman Bethune who worked in China in the 1930s and Dr. Chris Giannou today." - Rick Salutin, leading Canadian author and columnist, writing in The Toronto Globe and Mail

"[Saul‘s] greatest contribution (has been) sharing ideas, criticizing and giving advice -reminding us that we should base our ideology on the concrete realities of our country and people, not on ready-made manuals imported from the Soviet Union; that we should always ensure the participation of the people in decision-making, and make socialism not just a slogan but a real objective." - Jorge Rebelo, poet, long-time Frelimo (Mozambique) activist, and cabinet minister in the first government of a liberated Mozambique

"John Saul‘s work is … provocative, sometimes uncomfortable, but always forward-looking and constructive intervention." - Colin Leys, scholar and author

"John Saul is a scholar activist who has devoted his working life to participation on the intellectual front-line of the ‘30 years war‘ in Southern Africa." - Victoria Brittain, journalist and writer

'Incorporates a wide range of thoughts of writers on the Left.' - African Studies Review

Contents

Introduction: Development Theory Then and Now
1. Dependency: Coauthored with Colin Leys
2. Globalization, Imperialism, Development: False Binaries and Radical Resolutions
3. Identifying Class, Classifying Difference
4. The Struggle, Intellectual and Political, Continues
5. Conclusion: Reviving Development Theory as Continuing Anti-Imperialist Resistance and Local Revolutionary Practice

About the Author

John S. Saul is Professor Emeritus of Social and Political Science at Toronto's York University.

Academic Adoption Information

This book is used for teaching at the following institutions:

Manchester Metropolitan University