Origins of Pan-Africanism


Book Description

This book recounts the life story of the pioneering Henry Sylvester Williams through original research, each chapter set in the social context of the times, providing insight not only into a remarkable man who has been heretofore virtually written out of history, but also into the African Diaspora in the UK a century ago.




Pan-Africanism


Book Description

The first survey of the Pan-African movement this century, this book provides a history of the individuals and organisations that have sought the unity of all those of African origin as the basis for advancement and liberation. Initially an idea and movement that took root among the African Diaspora, in more recent times Pan-Africanism has been embodied in the African Union, the organisation of African states which includes the entire African Diaspora as its 'sixth region'. Hakim Adi covers many of the key political figures of the 20th century, including Du Bois, Garvey, Malcolm X, Nkrumah and Gaddafi, as well as Pan-African culture expression from Négritude to the wearing of the Afro hair style and the music of Bob Marley.




Routledge Handbook of Pan-Africanism


Book Description

The Routledge Handbook of Pan-Africanism provides an international, intersectional, and interdisciplinary overview of, and approach to, Pan-Africanism, making an invaluable contribution to the ongoing evolution of Pan-Africanism and demonstrating its continued significance in the 21st century. The handbook features expert introductions to, and critical explorations of, the most important historic and current subjects, theories, and controversies of Pan-Africanism and the evolution of black internationalism. Pan-Africanism is explored and critically engaged from different disciplinary points of view, emphasizing the multiplicity of perspectives and foregrounding an intersectional approach. The contributors provide erudite discussions of black internationalism, black feminism, African feminism, and queer Pan-Africanism alongside surveys of black nationalism, black consciousness, and Caribbean Pan-Africanism. Chapters on neo-colonialism, decolonization, and Africanization give way to chapters on African social movements, the African Union, and the African Renaissance. Pan-African aesthetics are probed via literature and music, illustrating the black internationalist impulse in myriad continental and diasporan artists’ work. Including 36 chapters by acclaimed established and emerging scholars, the handbook is organized into seven parts, each centered around a comprehensive theme: Intellectual origins, historical evolution, and radical politics of Pan-Africanism Pan-Africanist theories Pan-Africanism in the African diaspora Pan-Africanism in Africa Literary Pan-Africanism Musical Pan-Africanism The contemporary and continued relevance of Pan-Africanism in the 21st century The Routledge Handbook of Pan-Africanism is an indispensable source for scholars and students with research interests in continental and diasporan African history, sociology, politics, economics, and aesthetics. It will also be a very valuable resource for those working in interdisciplinary fields, such as African studies, African American studies, Caribbean studies, decolonial studies, postcolonial studies, women and gender studies, and queer studies.




Pan-African History


Book Description

Brings together Pan-Africanist thinkers and activists from the Anglophone and Francophone worlds of he last two-hundred years.




Pan-Africanism in Ghana


Book Description

Pan-Africanism in Ghana is an interdisciplinary exploration of the various ways Pan-African politics have been expressed by politicians in the Republic of Ghana from the colonial era to the present. By focusing on transnational politics in the context of a single nation over time, this study gives critical insight into the complex global, national, and local pressures that shaped Pan-African politics and the Republic of Ghana simultaneously. While there has been a great deal of work on Kwame Nkrumah and Ghana's First Republic, this book's major contribution is to trace Pan-African ideas in Ghanaian politics past the Nkrumah era, through the years of weak civilian governments and military rule, to the present. This approach explains how and why Pan-Africanism has shifted, inresponse to major global geopolitical changes and the objectives of Ghanaian political elites, from an anti-imperial African socialist oriented ideology to one supporting neoliberal nation-building. By viewing Ghanaian history through the lenses of economics, cultural anthropology, and political economy, this study reveals the extremely malleable nature of Pan-African ideas and the ingenuity of politicians looking to utilize them for a variety of political projects. In short, Ghana's conception as a springboard for a greater African union left a legacy subsequent civilian and military leaders of various ideological shades had to grapple with. The ways they rejected, embraced, or sought to subvert the nation's internationalist past helps us understand the mechanics of decolonization/nation-building in a globalizing world. Pan-Africanism in Ghana contributes to the historiography of Ghana by focusing on often overlooked figures and placing the development of the West African nation in a wider global context, while also presenting new multi-faceted arguments to debates about the history of Pan-Africanism. This book is part of the African World Series, edited by Toyin Falola, Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities, University of Texas at Austin. "This book is very informative as it offers the much needed help for comprehending the Pan African movement. Thus, it can serve as an excellent reference for general readers and students of Pan-Africanism alike, who want to learn how the concept can be used to shed light on and respond to the forces of globalization and address the current predicaments of the people of Africa."--Zerihun Berhane Weldegebriel, Addis Ababa University, African Studies Quarterly







A United States of Africa?


Book Description

A substantial work on the question of unity of African states, containing essays from twenty-four scholars from universities throughout Africa. The papers revolve around four main subjects. The first examines the colonial origins of the African state, neo-colonial constraints on post-colonial regimes, and the nature of the post-colonial political elite. The second subject under discussion is regional integration as a vehicle for the realisation of the African Union. Dani Wadaba Nabudere contributes an overview chapter on African unity in historical perspective; and many contributors consider the complicating phenomenon of globalisation alongside regional integration. The next part examines the extent to which problems of peace and security impact upon the integration project; and the effectiveness of existing regional and continental conflict prevention and resolution mechanisms. Xavier Renou analyses the present roles of France and America on the continent as an obstacle to peace and unity in a chapter entitled 'The New Franco-American Cold-War'. Finally, three contributors address the need for an approach to African unity for development better grounded in civil society and to a lesser extent centred around the role of the state.




Carter Reads the Newspaper


Book Description

"Carter G. Woodson didn't just read history. He changed it." As the father of Black History Month, he spent his life introducing others to the history of his people. Carter G. Woodson was born to two formerly enslaved people ten years after the end of the Civil War. Though his father could not read, he believed in being an informed citizen, so he asked Carter to read the newspaper to him every day. As a teenager, Carter went to work in the coal mines, and there he met Oliver Jones, who did something important: he asked Carter not only to read to him and the other miners, but also research and find more information on the subjects that interested them. "My interest in penetrating the past of my people was deepened," Carter wrote. His journey would take him many more years, traveling around the world and transforming the way people thought about history. From an award-winning team of author Deborah Hopkinson and illustrator Don Tate, this first-ever picture book biography of Carter G. Woodson emphasizes the importance of pursuing curiosity and encouraging a hunger for knowledge of stories and histories that have not been told. Back matter includes author and illustrator notes and brief biological sketches of important figures from African and African American history.




The Pan-African Pantheon


Book Description

With forty accessible essays on the key intellectual contributions to Pan-Africanism, this volume offers readers a fascinating insight into the intellectual thinking and contributions to Pan-Africanism. The book explores the history of Pan-Africanism and quest for reparations, early pioneers of Pan-Africanism as well as key activists and politicians, and Pan-African philosophy and literati. Diverse and key figures of Pan-Africanism from Africa, the Caribbean, and America are covered by these chapters, including: Edward Blyden, W.E.B. Du Bois, Marcus Garvey, Amy Ashwood Garvey, George Padmore, Kwame Nkrumah, Franz Fanon, Amilcar Cabral, Arthur Lewis, Maya Angelou, C.L.R. James, Ruth First, Ali Mazrui, Wangari Maathai, Thabo Mbeki, Wole Soyinka, Derek Walcott, and Chimamanda Adichie. While acknowledging the contributions of these figures to Pan-Africanism, these essays are not just celebratory, offering valuable criticism in areas where their subjects may have fallen short of their ideals.




Pan-Africanism in Modern Times


Book Description

For about one hundred years, Pan-Africanism—as a social, cultural, economic, political, and philosophical idea—thrived. Towards the tail-end of the twentieth century, however, it waned. But in more recent times, there has been noticeable resurgence. And as we approach the second decade of the twenty-first century, there are indications of significant transformations vis-à-vis the role and place of Pan-Africanism and Pan-Africanists. Consequently, this book offers a new, further, and better understanding of Pan-Africanism—not just from the traditional, African, and African American points of view, but also from a global perspective. It does so by offering an analysis of its early years in terms of the personalities, ideas, and conferences that shaped it; it also examines many of the factors that brought about its decline—and its eventual rebirth. Contributing to this seminal work are scholars of different but complementary styles and intellect, who deviate from the more traditional or obvious approaches. For instance, one of the chapters explores Pan-Africanism from the geographic perspective, while another examines the role and place of women in the Pan-African movement. There are also voices that advance the conversation from the regional and continental viewpoint—hence chapters that investigate the status of Pan-Africanism in Latin America, in the Caribbean, and Islam and Pan-Africanism in the modern world. Ethnonationalism and xenophobia are also part of the treatise because, increasingly, these injurious phenomena are reemerging in Africa’s landscape and consciousness. In an increasingly interdependent and interrelated world, this book also suggests that Pan-Africanism will undergo a metamorphosis: problems and challenges will be seen and tackled from the globalization and global common perspective. Pan-Africanism in Modern Times goes beyond the historicity of Pan-Africanism and examines the challenges, concerns, and constraints it faces; and also examines it from an inclusive perspective to have a broader understanding of this phenomenon and its future trajectory.