The Third World was not a place. It was a project.
That’s the first line of Vijay Prashad’s Darker Nations: A People’s History of the Third World–part of a series spun-off from Howard Zinn’s popular People’s History of the U.S.
I would actually order and read Prashad‘s book if I didn’t already have 729 unread volumes sitting beside my desk and bed. I’m trying to exercise restraint.
I invite readers to review and comment. Should I be picking this up?
Hat tip: Jackfruity
4 Responses
it is a worthy book, very informative & well researched, though the association w/ zinn's people’s history is bit of a misnomer, imo – yes, the focus is on the non-aligned states & social-ist inclinations, but the featured cast consists almost exclusively of leaders
there were several interviews w/ prashad on the subject matter when the book came out (in addition to a couple of brief articles), if you want to get a quick flavor
Working my way through it now and will drop you a line when I post a review on my own blog. Finding it quite an interesting read.
The book is interesting insofar as it discusses — very narrowly — the rise of the “Third World” as a narrative and construct during the Cold War. I (mistakenly) thought this would be a funky take on the history of countries that constituted the “third world” (from their vantage point).
Simply add it to your Amazon.com wish list like I always do when I see an interesting book but know I won’t be able to get to it for a few years. That way I can always search through my wish list (which now contains over 500 items) when I’m feeling like finding a new book.