PM’s dissertation theorizes what, between the mid-1940s to the early 1960s, W.E.B. Du Bois calls “the colonial system”, which is the intertwined forces of capitalism, colonialism, and imperialism on a world scale, led by the Western world.

By synthesizing unpublished, out-of-print, and otherwise obscure Du Bois materials from the 1940s—1960s, the dissertation provides a geneaological and a theoretical account of the colonial system, which Du Bois contends is indistinguishable from slavery.

Further, the dissertation articulates and develops Du Bois’ longstanding view that colonial imperialism is the primary root cause of war.