The New Racial Regime: Recalibrations of White Supremacy
by Alana Lentin
Pluto Press, 2025
[Publication date: May 20, 2025]
‘Extraordinary ... The New Racial Regime works from an archival foundation of Black and Indigenous, liberationist and anti-colonialist thinkers, honing analytical tools that make sense of the ongoing racial reconstructionist moment’ Dylan Rodríguez, author of White Reconstruction
‘Accessible, rigorous, and unequivocal, The New Racial Regime is the principled treatise we sorely need’ Charisse Burden-Stelly, author of Black Scare/Red Scare
In the words of Robin D.G. Kelley, ‘anti-wokeness is the perfect example of the functioning of the racial regime.’ Taking the reader beyond the distracting framings of culture wars and moral panics, Alana Lentin shows how the attacks on Black, Indigenous and anticolonial thought and praxis reveal the processes through which racial colonial rule is ideologically resecured.
The often chaotic and contradictory restitching of the racial regime is traced through the attacks on Critical Race Theory; the ‘whitelash’ against the teaching of histories of slavery and colonialism; the counterinsurgent capture and institutionalisation of antiracism, Indigeneity and decoloniality in the interests of Zionism, settler colonialism, and imperialism; and the ways that the state mandated ‘war on antisemitism’ reforms white supremacism in a time of genocide.
While the racial regime undergoes constant recalibration, its inherent instability is the consequence of continual resistance from below. Maintaining and deepening that resistance is vital at a time of rapidly mounting fascism.
REVIEWS:
‘Accessible, rigorous, and unequivocal, The New Racial Regime is the principled treatise we sorely need’ Charisse Burden-Stelly, author of Black Scare/Red Scare
In the words of Robin D.G. Kelley, ‘anti-wokeness is the perfect example of the functioning of the racial regime.’ Taking the reader beyond the distracting framings of culture wars and moral panics, Alana Lentin shows how the attacks on Black, Indigenous and anticolonial thought and praxis reveal the processes through which racial colonial rule is ideologically resecured.
The often chaotic and contradictory restitching of the racial regime is traced through the attacks on Critical Race Theory; the ‘whitelash’ against the teaching of histories of slavery and colonialism; the counterinsurgent capture and institutionalisation of antiracism, Indigeneity and decoloniality in the interests of Zionism, settler colonialism, and imperialism; and the ways that the state mandated ‘war on antisemitism’ reforms white supremacism in a time of genocide.
While the racial regime undergoes constant recalibration, its inherent instability is the consequence of continual resistance from below. Maintaining and deepening that resistance is vital at a time of rapidly mounting fascism.
REVIEWS:
'An extraordinary theoretical and methodological engagement with Cedric Robinson's indispensable conceptualization of "racial regimes." Simultaneously an intellectual tribute and expansive explication, The New Racial Regime works from an archival foundation of Black and Indigenous, liberationist and anti-colonialist thinkers, honing analytical tools that make sense of the ongoing racial reconstructionist moment'
--Dylan Rodríguez, author of White Reconstruction: Domestic Warfare and the Logics of Genocide
'A vital and well-written analysis of the regimes of racial capitalism that have reinvented themselves within the past decade. Lentin's analysis of white supremacy's dynamism and durability is incisive and she offers readers terrific suggestions about how to organize for change in a world where evil sometimes feels insurmountable'
--Steven Salaita, author of An Honest Living: A Memoir of Peculiar Itineraries
'Thinking through and with Cedric Robinson's framework of "racial regime", Alana Lentin offers a powerful reminder that, without an emphatic rejection of colonialism and imperialism, white supremacy, Zionism, and antiblack racial oppression will endure in our intellectual and political projects. Accessible, rigorous, and unequivocal, The New Racial Regime is the principled treatise we sorely need in this "time of monsters"'
--Charisse Burden-Stelly, author of Black Scare/Red Scare: Theorizing Capitalist Racism in the United States
'A crucial theorisation of the new "racial regime", where fervent support for genocide, and the rejection of racial equality have become components of a new common sense. From the war on critical race theory, through to the legitimation of genocide through a discourse of "decolonization", Lentin's book offers deep insights into just how deep the new racial regime characterises our new social landscape. Social problems of our time need to be theorized, and Lentin's book provides us with the vital theorization we need in order to fight back'
--Ali Meghji, Associate Professor in Social Inequalities, University of Cambridge
'With intellectual rigor and moral urgency, this book dismantles the myths of liberal progress and reveals the recalibrations of white supremacy in the modern era. Lentin's work is a valuable tool for any policy based on a genuine theory of racism'
--Houria Bouteldja, author of Rednecks and Barbarians: Uniting the White and Racialized Working Class
'What an extraordinarily instructive and timely book! Again and again, The New Racial Regime reveals the internal logics and methods of racial regimes and how they reproduce themselves, and in turn, reproduce the cultural and governing logic of capitalism – one that extracts, exploits and subjugates. By taking up Zionism to further interrogate the racial logic of governing, Lentin demonstrates the ways in which racial regimes are indeed inventive, indispensable to capitalism, and deadly'
--H.L.T. Quan, author of Become Ungovernable: An Abolition Feminist Ethic for Democratic Living
'What an extraordinarily instructive and timely book! Again and again, The New Racial Regime reveals the internal logics and methods of racial regimes and how they reproduce themselves, and in turn, reproduce the cultural and governing logic of capitalism – one that extracts, exploits and subjugates. By taking up Zionism to further interrogate the racial logic of governing, Lentin demonstrates the ways in which racial regimes are indeed inventive, indispensable to capitalism, and deadly'
--H.L.T. Quan, author of Become Ungovernable: An Abolition Feminist Ethic for Democratic Living
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Alana Lentin is a teacher and scholar working on the critical theorisation of race, racism and anti-racism. She is a Professor of Cultural and Social Analysis at Western Sydney University and the author of Why Race Still Matters. She is a Founding Collective member of the Institute for the Critical Study of Zionism. She lives on Gadigal-Wangal land (Sydney, Australia).
Decolonizing Language and Other Revolutionary Ideas
by Ngugi Wa Thiong'o
The New Press, 2025
[Publication date: May 6, 2025]
A Literary Hub Most Anticipated Book
Brilliant thoughts on modern African literature and postcolonial literary criticism from one of the giants of contemporary letters
“One of the greatest writers of our time.” —Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, bestselling author
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o was a towering figure in African literature, and his novels A Grain of Wheat; Weep Not, Child; and Petals of Blood are modern classics. Emerging from a literary scene that flourished in the 1950s and ’60s during the last years of colonialism in Africa, he became known not just as a novelist—one who, in the late ’70s, famously stopped writing novels in English and turned to the language he grew up speaking, Gĩkũyũ—but as a major postcolonial theorist.
In Decolonizing Language and Other Revolutionary Ideas, Ngũgĩ gives us a series of essays that build on the revolutionary ideas about language and its constructive role in national culture, history, and identity that he set out in his earlier work—illuminating the intrinsic importance of keeping intact and honoring these native languages throughout time.
Intricate and deeply nuanced, this collection examines the enduring power of African languages in resisting both the psychic and material impacts of colonialism, past and present. These themes are elucidated through chapters on some contemporaries of Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, including Chinua Achebe, Mĩcere Gĩthae Mũgo, and Wole Soyinka—each offering a distinct lens on the liberatory potential of language.
A brave call for discourse and immensely relevant to our present moment, Decolonizing Language and Other Revolutionary Ideas works both as a wonderful introduction to the enduring themes of Ngũgĩ’s work as well as a vital addition to the library of the world’s greatest and most provocative writers.
REVIEWS:
Brilliant thoughts on modern African literature and postcolonial literary criticism from one of the giants of contemporary letters
“One of the greatest writers of our time.” —Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, bestselling author
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o was a towering figure in African literature, and his novels A Grain of Wheat; Weep Not, Child; and Petals of Blood are modern classics. Emerging from a literary scene that flourished in the 1950s and ’60s during the last years of colonialism in Africa, he became known not just as a novelist—one who, in the late ’70s, famously stopped writing novels in English and turned to the language he grew up speaking, Gĩkũyũ—but as a major postcolonial theorist.
In Decolonizing Language and Other Revolutionary Ideas, Ngũgĩ gives us a series of essays that build on the revolutionary ideas about language and its constructive role in national culture, history, and identity that he set out in his earlier work—illuminating the intrinsic importance of keeping intact and honoring these native languages throughout time.
Intricate and deeply nuanced, this collection examines the enduring power of African languages in resisting both the psychic and material impacts of colonialism, past and present. These themes are elucidated through chapters on some contemporaries of Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, including Chinua Achebe, Mĩcere Gĩthae Mũgo, and Wole Soyinka—each offering a distinct lens on the liberatory potential of language.
A brave call for discourse and immensely relevant to our present moment, Decolonizing Language and Other Revolutionary Ideas works both as a wonderful introduction to the enduring themes of Ngũgĩ’s work as well as a vital addition to the library of the world’s greatest and most provocative writers.
REVIEWS:
Praise for Decolonizing Language and
Other Revolutionary Ideas:
“Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s incisive analysis unearths the hidden connections between language and power, doling out insights into the fault lines of postcolonial African politics along the way. This will leave readers with much to ponder.”
“Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s incisive analysis unearths the hidden connections between language and power, doling out insights into the fault lines of postcolonial African politics along the way. This will leave readers with much to ponder.”
—Publishers Weekly
“This very personal book by Nobel Prize–nominated novelist and literary scholar Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o defines ‘decolonization’ as much more than geopolitical freedom and urges African writers to reclaim African languages as a way of decolonizing literature and the mind. This philosophy builds on his earlier book Decolonizing the Mind. . . . Highly recommended for readers seeking a broadened perspective on the value and meaning of native language.”
—Library Journal
“A deeply considered case for reframing how we think about native tongues, Decolonizing Language looks to be an eye-popping argument from one of our most formidable thinkers.”
—Literary Hub, “Most Anticipated Books of 2025”
“The celebrated Kenyan novelist contemplates literature, politics and colonialism in forceful essays covering Kenya’s poverty crisis and past efforts to suppress African languages, while paying tribute to writers such as Chinua Achebe and Mĩcere Mũgo.”
—The New York Times Book Review
“These essays by acclaimed African novelist and post-colonial theorist include pieces on important contemporaries including Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka, but also delve into the links between language and identity.”
—Los Angeles Times
“Steeped in rich historical references and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s own lived experiences, this book brings refreshing focus back to efforts towards decolonization, a term that has perhaps faded from popular discourse but that deserves vigorous resuscitation.”
—Booklist
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o (1938–2025) was a leading Kenyan author and academic. He is the author of A Grain of Wheat; Weep Not, Child; and Petals of Blood, as well as Birth of a Dream Weaver, Wrestling with the Devil, Minutes of Glory, and The Perfect Nine (all from The New Press). He was the recipient of twelve honorary doctorates, among other awards, and was nominated for the Man Booker International Prize.
Karl Marx in America
by Andrew Hartman
University of Chicago Press, 2025
[Publication date: May 29, 2025]
To read Karl Marx is to contemplate a world created by capitalism. People have long viewed the United States as the quintessential anti-Marxist nation, but Marx’s ideas have inspired a wide range of people to formulate a more precise sense of the stakes of the American project. Historians have highlighted the imprint made on the United States by Enlightenment thinkers such as Adam Smith, John Locke, and Thomas Paine, but Marx is rarely considered alongside these figures. Yet his ideas are the most relevant today because of capitalism’s centrality to American life.
In Karl Marx in America, historian Andrew Hartman argues that even though Karl Marx never visited America, the country has been infused, shaped, and transformed by him. Since the beginning of the Civil War, Marx has been a specter in the American machine. During the Gilded Age, socialists read Marx as an antidote to the unchecked power of corporations. In the Great Depression, communists turned to Marx in hopes of transcending the destructive capitalist economy. The young activists of the 1960s were inspired by Marx as they gathered to protest an overseas war. Marx’s influence today is evident, too, as Americans have become increasingly attuned to issues of inequality, labor, and power.
After decades of being pushed to the far-left corner of intellectual thought, Marx’s ideologies have crossed over into the mainstream and are more alive than ever. Working-class consciousness is on the rise, and, as Marx argued, the future of a capitalist society rests in the hands of the people who work at the point of production. A valuable resource for anyone interested in Marx’s influence on American political discourse, Karl Marx in America is a thought-provoking account of the past, present, and future of his philosophies in American society.
REVIEWS:
"'As long
as capitalism persists, Marx cannot be killed.' So writes Andrew Hartman
in a capacious, captivating, and learned study that demonstrates why
every generation of Americans, on the right as well as left, has been
compelled to grapple with and reinterpret Karl Marx and all his works.
This is a brilliant, provocative, and highly readable history, essential
to an understanding of American capitalism and its critics, past and
present." -- Nelson Lichtenstein, author of 'A Fabulous Failure: the
Clinton Presidency and the Transformation of American Capitalism'
"From Brussels to London and across the Atlantic, Karl Marx’s revolutionary ideas traversed the borders that once presumed to divide American liberals from conservatives, free market boosters from believers in the welfare state, the left from the right. Given Marx’s enduring influence on American thought, we owe a debt of gratitude to Andrew Hartman for reconstructing this important history and presenting it in compulsively readable prose." -- Jennifer Ratner-Rosenhagen, University of Wisconsin-Madison
"Karl Marx in America is a fascinating and long overdue book. As Andrew Hartman notes, not only was Marx an active participant in American political debate as a correspondent for the New York Tribune for the crucial decade leading up to the Civil War; he has been a specter haunting American political debate since the Gilded Age. Much American social reform discourse -- from fin de siecle meliorist socialism and Progressivism through postwar industrial and interest-group pluralism, as well as Cold War liberalism, to a neoliberalism experiencing legitimation problems -- has been shaped in typically unacknowledged debate with, or opposition to, Marx and Marxism. The topic is important, and it is particularly well treated by a deft intellectual historian like Hartman." -- Adolph Reed, Jr., University of Pennsylvania
"Marx was in exile for most of his adult life, so he was a kind of foreign import wherever he got read. But his studies of the United States, what he called the "most modern form of bourgeois society," reshaped his thinking at a critical moment, and this thinking, Andrew Hartman claims, found a home here. That sounds unlikely, almost ridiculous, in view of the way Marxism has been treated by American intellectuals and activists from Left to Right—as an exotic essence from the other shore which must be spoon fed to the masses or handled as a deadly contaminant, either way appearing as something counter to American values. But Hartman proves the point in this comprehensive, convincing, and yes, even entertaining book, Karl Marx in America. It's a brilliant tour de force that might persuade Americans that we are the other shore, inhabitants of the place that Marxism was made for." -- James Livingston, Rutgers University
"From Brussels to London and across the Atlantic, Karl Marx’s revolutionary ideas traversed the borders that once presumed to divide American liberals from conservatives, free market boosters from believers in the welfare state, the left from the right. Given Marx’s enduring influence on American thought, we owe a debt of gratitude to Andrew Hartman for reconstructing this important history and presenting it in compulsively readable prose." -- Jennifer Ratner-Rosenhagen, University of Wisconsin-Madison
"Karl Marx in America is a fascinating and long overdue book. As Andrew Hartman notes, not only was Marx an active participant in American political debate as a correspondent for the New York Tribune for the crucial decade leading up to the Civil War; he has been a specter haunting American political debate since the Gilded Age. Much American social reform discourse -- from fin de siecle meliorist socialism and Progressivism through postwar industrial and interest-group pluralism, as well as Cold War liberalism, to a neoliberalism experiencing legitimation problems -- has been shaped in typically unacknowledged debate with, or opposition to, Marx and Marxism. The topic is important, and it is particularly well treated by a deft intellectual historian like Hartman." -- Adolph Reed, Jr., University of Pennsylvania
"Marx was in exile for most of his adult life, so he was a kind of foreign import wherever he got read. But his studies of the United States, what he called the "most modern form of bourgeois society," reshaped his thinking at a critical moment, and this thinking, Andrew Hartman claims, found a home here. That sounds unlikely, almost ridiculous, in view of the way Marxism has been treated by American intellectuals and activists from Left to Right—as an exotic essence from the other shore which must be spoon fed to the masses or handled as a deadly contaminant, either way appearing as something counter to American values. But Hartman proves the point in this comprehensive, convincing, and yes, even entertaining book, Karl Marx in America. It's a brilliant tour de force that might persuade Americans that we are the other shore, inhabitants of the place that Marxism was made for." -- James Livingston, Rutgers University
"Hartman sweeps with gusto through over a century and a half of
U.S. history, revealing the influence of Marxism on dozens of
institutions, individuals, and events, obscure and famous. . . . to show
that both liberal critics and right-wing demonizers got his favorite
thinker terribly wrong."
―The New Republic
"Recent books on Marx have oscillated between presenting him as a
singularly nineteenth-century figure or as a timeless savant whose ideas
are applicable across all of the spaces and times of capitalist
modernity. Hartman’s approach, disaggregating the man from the
posthumous deployment of his later ideas, allows him to stand on both
sides of that divide. The result is an astute and politically useful
book about a vital strand of American intellectual thought." ― Jacobin
"If you’ve never read about Marx’s life, Hartman’s book doubles as a short biography; if you’ve never read The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte (1852), Hartman’s book is a primer on a variety of Marx’s most cited and important philosophy. If you’ve never read Marx’s interpreters—who are many, from Kenneth Burke to Frantz Fanon and David Harvey—Karl Marx in America is a road map. But the most interesting insight in the book comes from the laundry list of Marx’s haters, and their complete inability to land a good punch on our boy." ― Los Angeles Review of Books
"A nimble study that sheds new light on Marx’s thought and enduring influence."
― Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"Students of U.S. history and thought will benefit from this study." ― Library Journal
"Karl Marx in America significantly contributes to our understanding of the twists and turns of the periodic Marx booms. Throughout its 500 pages and nine chapters, the text adroitly historicizes a wide range of American readers’ uses of Marx since the mid-19th century." ― Foreign Policy
"Karl Marx in America is a start in building the narrative of how a generation of American intellectuals are beginning to analyze the history of Marxism in the United States not as a failure but as a continuing tradition, with the present being an historically important moment in its development and to which we can contribute. After all, we have nothing to lose." ― The Baffler
