"In the Hope That They Can Make Their Own Future": James H. Cone and the Third World

Abstract:James Cone views Black theology as of a piece with Third World theology. Contrary to lingering criticisms that Cone's writings are politically limited by metaphysical and cultural nationalism, this article contends that for Cone the internationalist standpoint is essential to a "new way of making theology." To this end we offer an alternative frame for appreciating Cone's theological vision by attending to his project to link Black liberation theology to Third World theology through his writings, relationships, and affiliations and through his concomitant critique of racial capitalist civilization. Our argument is that these global connections are central to understanding Cone's theology and that Cone's endorsement of a new economic order is a material corollary internal to his participation in these networks. Our goal is to attend to these neglected features in Cone's theology in order to recast his writings as a resource for the contemporary Black radical imagination.