The Geopolitics of Malcolm X

Geographers and other social scientists have largely neglected Malcolm X as a critical theorist. Unlike the attention accorded to Franz Fanon, the writings and speeches of Malcolm X have remained unexplored for their potential contribution to political geographic thought. As a corrective, in this paper we situate Malcolm X within the rubric of critical geopolitics and postcolonial theory. We contend that Malcolm X, during the last year of his life, was formulating a geopolitics of oppression. We further assert that the geopolitics of Malcolm X were decidedly critical and anti-colonial, and that his discourse foreshadows elements of contemporary social theory. Specifically, Malcolm X instructed his audiences to educate themselves about the relationships between imperial power and he addressed the politics of representation by representing the issues of American racial oppression as one of global oppression.