A History of the Guyanese Working People, 1881-1905 (Johns Hopkins Studies in Atlantic History and Culture)

A History of the Guyanese Working People, 1881-1905 is a comprehensive and original contribution to the historiography of nineteenth-century Guyanese society.

This book provides an in-depth examination of the history of African and Asian immigration into Guyana, the interaction of ethnic groups, the impact of British colonialism, economic and political constraints on the working class, and the social life of the masses.

Rodney argues that the social evolution of the Guyanese working people has been guided by specific material constraints and extremely powerful external forces from Europe, Africa, Asia, and North America.

He emphasizes the destructive fragmentation of the working class along ethnic, political, and social lines, encouraged by the legacy of slavery, postslavery immigration, legal distinctions between various classes of labor, and the economic bases of the society.

Despite the hardships and frustrations of the masses, Rodney's account ends on a hopeful note, highlighting the significance of this work for anyone interested in the problems of underdeveloped nations, labor control, and the after-effects of colonialism and imperialism.