Charles Mills’ Turn to Liberalism

In 1994, there was a turn in Charles Mills’ thinking, which he framed as a move away from a white Marxism unable to adequately think race and toward a Black radical liberalism. In this essay, I show that this turn is more complex and problematic than Mills’ presentation and that it involves a disavowal of Mills’ own attempts at forging what he calls a “‘black,’ or at least racially informed, Marxism.” By looking at Mills’ early work, I offer some suggestions for how we might read Mills’ turn and his framing of it. I also consider why it’s important for us revisit Mills’ turn today.