Introduction: Che Guevara and world politics

Abstract

This introductory article to the volume Che Lives! provides a general primer to Che Guevara's thinking and practice in world politics. Situating Che's historical significance as a radical agent and thinker in the 1960s, it canvasses the various politicised readings of his legacy, suggesting focusing on shared textual evidence and widely agreed thematic areas can limit this problem for analysis. The article argues that, despite some apparent changes to world order, that Che's thought remains highly relevant because the so-called ‘philosophy of plunder’ still dictates much of the global economy and relations between states just as it did in Che's time. Focusing on Che’s dialectical method that brings together class exploitation and the operations of neo-imperialism, the chapter shows how Che is of continued relevance for contemporary social movements fighting for a just world. The article concludes with a chapter summary of each contribution to the volume.