Description:
<jats:p>In this article von Freyhold considers and evaluates the kind of popular or class struggles capable in the long run of reducing inequality and exploitation. She begins with a critique of dependency theory which, if accurately portraying economic patterns characterising developing countries, remains essentially functional in its assumptions and tied to a model of change based on an inaccurate historical account of the metropolis. The author points to important differences between the experience and position of the working class in the West and its counterparts in other contexts. In particular the fundamental element of racism intruding into the relationship between worker and employer in colonial situations has meant a broader gap between the exploited and controlling elements of society there. This in turn has fostered the emergence of movements and struggles which, as a matter of course, have transcended the boundaries of the working class. It is such forces, suggests von Freyhold, which are likely to make a positive impact in transforming the status quo. The role prescribed for labour is not as an independent force but as a part of a larger and broader initiative.</jats:p>