Racial Capitalism in French and Francophone Studies

Abstract: This introduction presents 'racial capitalism' as a timely and important avenue of study in contemporary French and Francophone Studies. Drawing inspiration from the belated French translation of Cedric Robinson's landmark Black Marxism: The Making of the Black Radical Tradition , it details early responses to Robinson's book on the francophone left, before engaging more broadly with the concept of racial capitalism in its more recent interpretations. Before detailing the issue's contributions, it argues that while work on race and racism in French and Francophone Studies is rich and expansive, work on racial capitalism remains to be developed.