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The intellectual history of the debate over class analysis in Africa is presented. Confusion concerning the word class is discussed. Class is seen as involving both a relationship to the means of production, & a consciousness of being a political actor in a given national context. Classes are viewed as having become objective realities within the world-economy. Developments in sixteenth-century Europe are compared to the situation in nineteenth- & twentieth-century Africa. The primary contradiction in core areas is in the fight over the role of the state structure by groups seeking control within the state. In peripheral areas, the primary contradiction is between interests in the core countries & their allies, & the majority of the population. It is assumed that a meaningful conceptual framework of class & class conflict can be abstracted from complex historical reality if one locates the primary contradiction of a specific political situation at a specific time. An anti-imperialist national struggle is seen as an expression of class interest. A. Rubins

Sullivan reviews 'Class & Class Conflict in Australia' edited by Rick Kuhn and Tom O'Lincoln.

Cover -- Title page -- Copyright -- Contents -- Foreword -- Introduction -- Acknowledgments -- January -- February -- March -- April -- May -- June -- July -- August -- September -- October -- November -- December -- Postscript -- References -- Index.

The failures of state socialism & Marxist criticism are traced to the neglect of Marxist class analysis. The historical failings of Marxism can only be understood by reference to the choices made by historical agents, which in turn must be understood with respect to class consciousness & the obstacles placed in the way of its development. In this way, the successes of Marxism as a liberating ideology may also be recognized. 18 References. A. Levine