Product Description

This highly readable and radical introduction to the Congo covers its turbulent history from the unleashing of King Leopard's fury across the region in the 19th century, to the Western sponsored murder of Patrice Lumumba in 1961 and the war that has ravaged the country since 1997. It pays attention to the importance of economic production for social organization throughout the country's recent history and argues that the nature of global capitalism, far from always leading to modernization, can in fact mean the expansion of private capital accompanied by social collapse. As for the future, the hope is that another politics will emerge from the resistance of ordinary Congolese to imperialist slaughter and the post-independence Mobutu dictatorship.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #211041 in Books
• Published on: 2006-12-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

About the Author
David Renton is currently an Associate Professor of Sociology at Johannesburg University, South Africa, having taught previously at Rhodes University, Sunderland University and Nottingham Trent University. He gained his MA in Modern History at Oxford University in 1995, and his PhD at Sheffield University in 1998. He has also worked for several years as a trade union official. His recent books include: When we Touched the Sky: The Anti-Nazi League 1977-1981 (New Clarion Press, 2006), Trotsky (London: Haus Life and Times, 2004), Dissident Marxism (London: Zed Books, 2004). David Seddon has a BA and MA from Cambridge and a PhD in social anthropology from the LSE. He has lived, worked and undertaken research and consultancy in Africa (and Asia) for some 40 years. Having taught at the University of Cape Town and University of the Witwatersrand in the late 1960s and the School of Oriental and African Studies (University of London) in the early 1970s, he moved in 1972 to the University of East Anglia (UEA) in Norwich. There he helped establish the School of Development Studies, where he currently holds a Chair in Sociology & Politics. A former member of the editorial board of the Review of African political economy, he is the author of numerous works on African political economy. His most recent published book is A Political and Economic Dictionary of Africa (Europa Publications, Taylor & Francis 2005) and he is currently working on an A to Z of Political Islam, for Zed Books. Leo Zeilig is a Research Fellow in the Department of Sociology at the University of Johannesburg. He has lectured at Brunel University, where he was awarded his PhD and Chiekh Anta Diop University in Senegal. His publications include the edited book: Class Struggle and Resistance in Africa (New Clarion Press, 2002).

Customer Reviews

Execellent in scope and analysis
I found this a very stimulating and interesting read. The narrative is chronological, beginning in the pre-colonial period before ending at the beginning of the 21st century. Throughout we encounter the main players on the Congolese stage such as Stanley, Leopold, Lumumba and Mobutu. These portraits keep the narrative interesting as we see into their various characters.
The underlying theme is that the problems of the Congo region have never occurred within its own tight crucible, but rather within the global political arena. The authors also point out that the problems of DRC/Zaire cannot be simply be attributed to stereotypical criticisms associated with African governance. The final chapters demonstrate the continuing complicity of Western and African powers in the misery experienced by many of the poor people unfortunate enough to live in this part of the world. I certainly recommend this work.

Congo Plunder and Resistance.
Not an easy read but well worthwhile. The first chapter deals well with the problem of covering ground already dealt with by Hochschild by giving enough, but not too much detail. As someone realtively new to the history of DRC, although with academic history qualifications, it provides a good basic knowledge of the situation. It demonstrates the degree to which the West has plundered and damaged DRC clearly and well.