The Development of an African Working Class, 9781032596846
Paperback
African workers unite: forging justice and a working class identity.
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The Development of an African Working Class

studies in class formation and action

$118.88

  • Paperback

    344 pages

  • Release Date

    1 October 2025

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Summary

Forging Freedom: The Rise of the African Working Class

Originally published in 1975, this volume reassesses the historical, political, and social role of African workers. It examines the extent to which a working class has formed and undertaken collective action in various parts of Africa. The book draws upon primary historical sources and first-hand experiences. Contributors share a belief in the legitimacy of organized worker action to create a more just society.

Book Details

ISBN-13:9781032596846
ISBN-10:1032596848
Series:Routledge Revivals
Author:Richard Sandbrook, Robin Cohen
Publisher:Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:Routledge
Format:Paperback
Number of Pages:344
Release Date:1 October 2025
Weight:0g
Dimensions:234mm x 156mm
What They're Saying

Critics Review

Reviews of the original edition of The Development of an African Working Class:

’…excellent and informative…’ M. Turshen, Race and Class 18(2).

‘The Editors are to be congratulated on the quality of the contributions they have brought together.’ John Cartwright, Canadian Journal of Political Science, Vol 10, No. 3.

‘Overall, this is an excellent volume that will be useful to scholars on labor in developing countries’. –William H. Friedland Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 30 (3).

‘This book is a tour de force. There is considerable fresh empirical data of use to any scholar. There are lively challenging interpretations that may not force any specialists in African development and labor to change radically their ideas, but they should necessitate reconsideration and modification’. – Thomas R. de Gregori Journal of Economic Issues, 12 (3).

About The Author

Richard Sandbrook

Robin Cohen is Emeritus Professor of Development Studies at the University of Oxford. For the first decade of his academic career, he worked on comparative labour issues. His books included Labour and Politics in Nigeria (1974) and the co-edited collections The development of an African working class (1975), International Labour and the Third World (1987), African Labor History (1978) and the current title, Peasants and Proletarians. He subsequently wrote on the themes of migration, globalization and diasporas. His best-known work is Global diasporas: An introduction (3rd edition, 2022).

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