January 5, 2026 - Asia Commune

Today in History: Celebrating Pan-Africanist, Marxist Historian C.L.R. James on the Anniversary of His Birth

January 5, 2026January 5, 2026 Samantha

Picture from wikipedia Today we commemorate the birth of Cyril Lionel Robert James, a titan of revolutionary thought and a foundational figure in the tradition of Marxist-Pan-Africanism. Born on 4 January 1901 in Tunapuna, Trinidad, James dedicated his life to articulating and advancing the inseparable cause of global working class emancipation and anti-colonial liberation. His work stands as a profound correction to Eurocentric Marxism, insisting that the struggle of the Black people and colonised peoples generally was not a secondary concern but the very vanguard of the world socialist movement.…

The Asia Commune is an anti-capitalist, anti-authoritarian, non-elitist and egalitarian community of progressive social, political, environmental and cultural activists who stand for freedom, democracy, social justice and equality for the oppressed, exploited and discriminated peoples of Asia. We stand in solidarity with the peoples’ struggles against all forms of oppression, exploitation and discrimination: for the Commune, there is no hierarchical order of peoples’ struggles; we give each and every struggle of the oppressed, exploited and discriminated peoples equal recognition.

The objective of the Commune is to provide a platform for progressive and radical social, political, environmental and cultural activists to share their experiences and perspectives for discourse and gain insights into their practices.

The Commune, we hope, will contribute to creating an atmosphere for mutual understanding of issues encountered by the activists at the grass-roots level in particular contexts of the peoples’ struggles in a spirit of solidarity.