> > That means, at the start, jettisoning all analyses that
>> don't focus on class, and class as the revolutionary agent.
>
>But that is ALWAYS the question: What, under given historical
>conditions, does focusing on class _mean_. My assumption is that in the
>United States focusing on class means focusing on the struggle against
>working-class racism, which means uniting those parts of the class
>(white or black, male or female) who will struggle under that banner.
At a guess, I'd say that in the context "focus on class" means focusing on class as opposed to focusing on race. You seem to disagree?
Anyhow, my impression is that we are so far from any agreement on even a definition of class under current historical conditions that perhaps the focus of race is a way of avoiding the issue. But it seems to me that lack of class consciousness is a root cause of racism, so to focus on race is perhaps to focus on symptoms rather than cause. You could persuade me otherwise though, why do you reason otherwise? Is class just too hard?
Bill Bartlett Bracknell Tas