BOOK REVIEW: Military Marxism: Africa’s Contribution to Revolutionary Theory, 1957-2023

Abstract

Adam Mayer’s “Military Marxism: Africa’s Contribution to Revolutionary Theory (1957- 2023)” offers a significant contribution to the intellectual history of African radicalism. This study calls into question a prevailing Western scholarly consensus that routinely marginalizes African Marxist experiments by labeling them as Soviet backed Marxism. Mayer has comprehensively addressed “Military Marxism” as a new paradigm and argued that this structure took shape in Africa in a unique way centered on military elements. While Marxism is a social, political, and economic theory that analyses society through the lens of class struggle, this study approaches it from a different perspective. The concept of “Military Marxism” was explored in depth by Adam Mayer, who analyzed the development and influence of African Marxist thought on political and military movements across sub-Saharan Africa from the Cold War era through to contemporary times. The core of “Military Marxism” in Africa centers on the military’s role as both an ideological and an organizational force in revolutionary and political change.

Keywords

Marxism, Africa

Citation

Aydın, H. 2026. Review of Military Marxism: Africa’s Contribution to Revolutionary Theory, 1957–2023, by Adam Mayer. Uluslararası İlişkiler, Advanced Online Publication, 5 August 2026: 1–3. DOI: 10.33458/uidergisi.1998796

Affiliations

Hakan Aydın Assistant Professor, Vocational School of Social Sciences, Kırklareli University, Kırklareli E-Mail: [email protected] Orcid: 0000-0002-5061-5631