Clr James's Notes on Dialectics - by John H McClendon (Paperback)

About the Book

Author John McClendon has written first ever book-length study of CLR James's Notes on Dialectics. This text opens and simultaneously closes the book on James's Notes through an erudite and expansive look at the political, social, and cultural context in which James conducted ...

Book Synopsis

John H. McClendon III's CLR James's Notes on Dialectics: Left Hegelianism or Marxism-Leninism? is the first-ever book devoted exclusively to James's "magnum opus," Notes on Dialectics: Hegel-Marx-Lenin. The seed for this study was planted over thirty years ago when James handed the author his personal copy of Notes. James's contribution to dialectical philosophy and his vast intellectual and scholarly output is rivalled only by the seemingly bottomless depths of McClendon's own analysis and erudition. McClendon provides a thorough-going critique of James's exploration into the dialectic of Hegel, Marx, and Lenin while challenging all the seminal texts on James's Notes'. A book of this magnitude is rare. This is ever more the truth when it is focused on a giant like James who stands at the nexus of so many disciplines: philosophy, history, sociology, Caribbean studies, cultural studies, African, and African American studies. CLR James's Notes on Dialectics: Left Hegelianism or Marxism-Leninism? is a must read for anyone concerned with how revolutionary theory is a guide to contemporary struggles.

Review Quotes

In passing over stodgy traditional Marxist writings, McClendon has focused on the stupendous West Indian thinker, C. L. R. James. Having received from James a personal copy of James' treatise, McClendon magnificently dissects and clarifies this research, persuasively arguing that James's Notes should be the first read for all contemporary Marxist scholars.

John McClendon is a rare breed: he's got the uncommon and uncanny ability to talk about complicated (or complicated-sounding) things in an accessible, engaging way. John's powers of explanation are of extraordinary value to the Left - and to political discourse more generally.

This is a remarkable book, and certainly one of the most sophisticated treatments of James I have read. It is thoroughly researched and tightly argued. And it is an unsurpassed tribute to C. L. R. James. . . . In addition to being the only major treatise on what is perhaps James' most significant contribution to Marxist theory, this book also fills a major gap in the literature on contemporary Marxism, most of which has been written by European or North American authors who have ignored the works of James.

About the Author

John H. McClendon III is Associate Professor of African American Studies and American Cultural Studies at Bates College.