Merely liberals? Du Bois and Plaatje as radical critics of racial capitalism

Abstract

ABSTRACT A wide range of scholars ratified Du Bois’ Black Reconstruction as his radical turn. Prior to its publication, “liberal” was an epithet used in reference to his work. Across the Atlantic, Plaatje’s Native Life invoked his appellation as a “Black Victorian”. As a counter, this article argues that both intellectuals, who were in communication and whose work resonated with each other, understood the historical development of modern capitalism as an “extension” of an old racialised system. Common threads are found through their analysis; firstly, capitalism required and depended on the exploitation of Black labour. Secondly, the Land dispossession of Black people was a congruent rationale for the accumulation and expansion of capitalism. Lastly, the making of Black people as inferior is entangled with salvaging the white working class. Thus, Plaatje and Du Bois articulated this historical development within the problematic of racial capitalism.