MAKING THE BLACK JACOBINS, C.L.R. James and the drama of history

306pp., illus., paperback, Durham & London, 2019.

Rachel Douglas traces the genesis, transformation, and afterlives of C. L. R. James's landmark history of the Haitian revolution, The Black Jacobins, from the 1930s onwards. She examines the 1938 and 1963 editions of the book, the 1967 play of the same name, and James's 1936 play, Toussaint Louverture, as well as manuscripts, notes, interviews, and other texts.

“Among Rachel Douglas's great accomplishments is her analysis of The Black Jacobins as the keystone in the larger arc of C. L. R. James's complex and ever-evolving Marxism, taking seriously his own estimation of his intellectual accomplishments. Her extraordinary book makes a pivotal contribution to our understanding of James's masterpiece and is essential reading for all those engaged with understanding the Haitian Revolution and the decisive place of The Black Jacobins in its interpretation.” Nick Nesbitt, author of Caribbean Critique: Antillean critical theory from Toussaint to Glissant

Rachel Douglas is Lecturer in French and Comparative Literature at the University of Glasgow and author of Frankétienne and Rewriting: a work in progress.