Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting: Afro-Asian Connections and the Myth of Cultural Purity
In this brilliant exploration of the often surprising historical solidarities linking black and South Asian experiences, Prashad demolishes the conservative conceits of ethnic essentialism and so-called multiculturalism. In the usual dead zone of debate about identity politics, this little book is a refreshing oasis of original insight and unexpected affinity. -Mike Davis, author ofCity of QuartzandMagical Urbanism"Finally! A book that just might bring an end to all the silly talk of 'identity politics.' Vijay Prashad's powerful, original essays reveal that neither brown skins nor cultural commonalities explain the long and dynamic history of Afro-Asian solidarity. Rather, the answer lay in dreams of emancipation, dreams borne of Empire but nourished in the imaginations of so-called colored people who had to learn to trust each other in the trenches. This is one complicated and uncompleted journey we all need to know about." -Robin D. G. Kelley, author ofFreedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination