Black Political Economy in the 21st Century

Abstract

In The Crisis of the Negro Intellectual, Harold Cruse challenged Black intellectuals, and Black economists in particular, to a “studied creation” of new economic forms not limited by the ideologies of capitalism or Marxism. Using the term new institutionalism, Cruse saw this as “a new and dynamic synthesis” of “politics, economics, and culture.” He argued that “the initial ideas . . . must emanate from the minds of an advanced type of Negro intelligentsia, or they will not emerge.” In this article, the author takes the position that Cruse's insightful critique continues to be valid, but meeting the challenge requires the development of a Methodology of Black political economy more robust than the current choices. The author proposes a methodological framework, “critical institutionalism”; a plan for use of the proposed Methodology; and an assessment of how Black Studies programs might develop scholar-activists proficient at negotiating the territories between ideology, Methodology, theory, and practice.