What was pan africanism

In more-general terms, Pan-Africanism is the sentiment that people of African descent have a great deal in common, a fact that deserves notice and even celebration. The exigencies of war also led the imperial powers of Europe—Britain, France, and Germany—to train and employ colonial subjects in crucial industries while, as colonial combatants, many others saw firsthand the depravity that a supposedly superior European civilization had produced.

Colonial soldiers also pointed to the racism implicit in being asked to fight to "make the world safe for democracy" when this world would not include them, a suspicion confirmed for many when the Allies refused to include a guarantee against racial discrimination in the League of Nations charter following the war. As a result, the interwar years witnessed an unprecedented growth in a sense of racial unity and the popularity of black internationalism.

After struggling for some time to attract an audience in his native Jamaica, Marcus Garvey emigrated to Harlem in , where he and a young, educated Jamaican woman, Amy Ashwood who later married Garvey , relocated the Universal Negro Improvement Association U. The U. The apogee of the U. With most of his commercial enterprises like the Black Star shipping line failing or already bankrupt, in the U. This concise historical account of Pan-Africanism begins with early anti-slavery efforts in the Americas, describes the growth of Pan-African ideals among diaspora communities, and traces these ideas back to Africa.

Legum then analyzes Pan-Africanism in the context of African independence movements and their role within the larger geopolitical climate of the Global South. Padmore, George. Pan-Africanism or Communism. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, This landmark work has become central to the political struggle for freedom and determination throughout Africa and the diaspora.

Padmore cautions against allowing Cold War tensions to undermine the growing black civil rights, nationalist, and independence movements. He uses Pan-African history to debunk allegations of communist or Soviet collusion on the part of political leaders and activists. Users without a subscription are not able to see the full content on this page. Please subscribe or login. Oxford Bibliographies Online is available by subscription and perpetual access to institutions.

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Introduction Pan-Africanism encompasses a variety of historical, political, literary, and cultural movements seeking to draw connections among diverse societies of black African heritage, both on the African continent and beyond. Nationalism, Identity Formation, and the Struggle for Independence The works in this section reflect the diversity of ideological positioning leading up to independence.

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