The Political Thought of African Independence

"A great accomplishment. Not only does Smulewicz-Zucker's anthology bring together a diverse array of sources (54 in total), it also weaves together what are more or less canonical sources in twentieth-century African political thought with many unexpected, yet equally rich and illuminating, items. Smulewicz-Zucker has chosen material from all of the continent’s major regions, including . . . documents from more than two-dozen different countries, international and regional organizations, and conferences. Moreover, he has organized the material in a way that creates an engaging and powerful narrative articulating the complicated history of African independence. This outstanding collection will surely find its way into undergraduate courses in fields as diverse as African history, international relations, comparative politics, and even political theory."  —Jeffrey Ahlman, Smith College

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An Anthology of Sources

Edited, with an Introduction, by Gregory Smulewicz-Zucker
With the Assistance of Chelsea Schields

September 2017 - 298 pp.

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Cloth 978-1-62466-541-7
$89.00
Paper 978-1-62466-540-0
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Instructor Examination (Review) Copy 978-1-62466-540-0
$7.00

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The Political Thought of African Independence: An Anthology of Sources brilliantly frames the debates that captivated the world as former European colonies in Africa began their transition to sovereign rule in the 1950s and ’60s. Its wealth of key documents are enhanced by Gregory Smulewicz-Zucker’s General Introduction, part introductions, headnotes, and annotations, providing needed contextual information and supports for readers.

 

Reviews:

"A great accomplishment. Not only does Smulewicz-Zucker's anthology bring together a diverse array of sources (54 in total), it also weaves together what are more or less canonical sources in twentieth-century African political thought with many unexpected, yet equally rich and illuminating, items. Smulewicz-Zucker has chosen material from all of the continent’s major regions, including . . . documents from more than two-dozen different countries, international and regional organizations, and conferences. Moreover, he has organized the material in a way that creates an engaging and powerful narrative articulating the complicated history of African independence.
     "This outstanding collection will surely find its way into undergraduate courses in fields as diverse as African history, international relations, comparative politics, and even political theory."
     —Jeffrey Ahlman, Smith College, author of Living with Nkrumahism: Nation, State, and Pan-Africanism in Ghana (Ohio University Press, 2017)

"These African voices will expose readers to the events and ideas that gave shape to African political thought—from aspirations for power within the Anglican church and control over defining local and national cultures, to asserting national identities and conceptions of regional and continental unity. Taken together, they open a window onto the myriad ideas of, and struggles for, independence in Africa."
     —Benjamin Talton, Temple University

"Smulewicz-Zucker’s Political Thought of African Independence is an excellent collection. I'm not only impressed by the selection of texts but also moved by a number of the pieces included in the book."
     —Bill Fletcher Jr., former president of TransAfrica Forum

"Smulewicz-Zucker's anthology of primary sources pertinent to the political imagination of, and ideologies informing, African independence is . . . a very welcome resource for teachers and researchers everywhere.  The collection is vast and quite comprehensive, comprising four parts, each with a short introductory essay. The assemblage of such a diverse range of texts, traversing the length and breadth of the continent, is an effective way to challenge the teleology of the nation-state.
     "The mini-introductions offer teachers numerous avenues for the exploration of the materials in the classroom setting, and for the development of lines of questioning for student writing assignments. By broadening the conversation beyond the political realm to incorporate religious, social, cultural, and (to a far lesser extent) gendered aspirations of autonomy and agency, Smulewicz-Zucker has provided a highly teachable and engaging pedagogical product."
     —Benjamin N. Lawrence, University of Arizona, in African Studies Review

 

Table of Contents

Introduction

Part One: Early Visions of Independence

Introduction
1. Samuel Crowther – Letter to the Secretaries of the Church Missionary Society, 1841
2. James Africanus Horton – Advice to the Rising Generation in West Africa, 1868
3. The Fante Confederation Constitution, 1871
4. Edward Blyden – The Origin and Purpose of Colonization, 1881
5. W.E.B. Du Bois – To the Nations of the World, 1900
6. Mojola Agbebi – The West African Problem, 1911
7. J.E. Casely Hayford – Race Emancipation – Particular Considerations: African Nationality, 1911
8. Marcus Garvey – If You Believe the Negro Has a Soul, 1921

 

Part Two: Paths to Independence

Introduction
9. The Fifth Pan-African Congress – Resolutions, 1945
10. Jomo Kenyatta – Speech at the Kenya African Union, 1952
11. George Padmore – Communism and Black Nationalism, 1956
12. Félix Houphouet-Boigny – French Africa and the French Union, 1957
13. Charles de Gaulle – The Franco-African Community, 1958
14. The All-African People’s Conference – Resolution on Imperialism and Colonialism, 1958
15. Bibi Titi Mohammed – “Travel for TANU”: Interview, 1958
16. Sekou Touré - The Political Leader Considered as the Representative of a Culture, 1959
17. Gamal Abdel Nasser – The Philosophy of the Revolution, 1959
18. Harold Macmillan – Wind of Change, 1960
19. Henrik Verwoerd – Response to Macmillan
20. Patrice Lumumba – Two Speeches, 1960
21. The United Nations – Declaration on Granting Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, 1960
22. K.A. Busia – The Challenge of Nationalism, 1962

 

Part Three: Independence Struggles

Introduction
23. Karari Njama – Reflections on the Mau Mau Oath, 1952
24. Albert Luthuli – The Road to Freedom is Via the Cross, 1952
25. The Algerian National Liberation Front – Proclamation of the FLN, 1954
26. The Federation of South African Women – The Women’s Charter, 1954
27. The South African Congress of the People – The Freedom Charter, 1955
28. The People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola, 1956
29. Ndabaningi Sithole – White Supremacy and African Nationalism, 1959
30. Nelson Mandela – I am Prepared to Die, 1964
31. Ian Smith – Announcement of Unilateral Declaration of Independence, 1965
32. Harold Wilson – Position of the British Government on the Unilateral Declaration of Independence by Rhodesia, 1965
33. Amilcar Cabral – The Weapon of Theory, 1966
34. Andimba Toivo ya Toivo - Freedom for Namibia, 1968
35. Emeka Ojukwu – The Ahiara Declaration, 1969
36. Eduardo Mondlane – The Struggle for Independence in Mozambique, 1969

 

Part Four: Legitimating Independence

Introduction
37. Kwame Nkrumah – I Speak of Freedom, 1961
38. Tom Mboya – Tensions in African Development, 1961
39. Kabaka Mutesa II – Decision to Co-operate with Uganda, 1961
40. Sir Ahmadu Bello – Regional Government, 1962
41. Julius Nyerere – Ujamaa: The Basis of African Socialism, 1962
42. Organization of African Unity – Founding Charter, 1963
43. Haile Selassie I – A Call to African Leaders, 1963
44. Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa – Addis Ababa, 1963
45. Nnamdi Azikiwe – Tribalism: A Pragmatic Instrument for National Unity, 1964
46. Jomo Kenyatta – A One Party System, 1964
47. Léopold Sédar Senghor – African Socialist Humanism, 1964
48. Kwame Nkrumah – Consciencism, 1964
49. Kanyama Chiume and Ex-Malawian Ministers – Appeal to the U.N. and O.A.U.
50. J.B. Danquah – Letter from Prison to Kwame Nkrumah, 1964
51. Vera Chirwa – Origins of the Cabinet Crisis, 1964
52. Obafemi Awolowo – Thoughts on Nigerian Constitution, 1966
53. Kenneth Kaunda – African Development and Foreign Aid, 1966
54. The Tanganyika African National Union – The Arusha Declaration: On the Policy of Self-Reliance in Tanzania, 1967

 

About the Author:

Gregory R. Smulewicz-Zucker is the Managing Editor of Logos: A Journal of Modern Society and Culture. He is the co-editor, with Michael J. Thompson, of Radical  Intellectuals and the Subversion of Progressive Politics (Palgrave), and the author of the forthcoming Confronting Reification: The Revitalization of a Concept in Late Capitalism (Brill/Haymarket).