Nationalism In Colonial And Post Colonial Africa

In this book the author examines the current state of postcolonial Africa with a focus on the "liberation predicament" and the crisis of epistemological, cultural, economic, and political dependence created by colonialism and coloniality.

Geared to the interests of modern historians of world decolonization and economic nationalism, this study of international relations will provide insight into issues relevant to nationalism and international society.

The majority of the existing work on nationalism has centered on its role in the creation of new states. After Independence breaks new ground by examining the changes to nationalism after independence in seven new states. This innovative volume challenges scholars and specialists to rethink conventional views of ethnic and civic nationalism and the division between primordial and constructivist understandings of national identity. "Where do nationalists go once they get what they want? We know rather little about how nationalist movements transform themselves into the governments of new states, or how they can become opponents of new regimes that, in their view, have not taken the self-determination drive far enough. This stellar collection contributes not only to comparative theorizing on nationalist movements, but also deepens our understanding of the contentious politics of nationalism's ultimate product--new countries." --Charles King, Chair of the Faculty and Ion Ratiu Associate Professor, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service "This well-integrated volume analyzes two important variants of nationalism-postcolonial and postcommunist-in a sober, lucid way and will benefit students and scholars alike." --Zvi Gitelman, University of Michigan Lowell W. Barrington is Associate Professor of Political Science, Marquette University.

The contributions in Nationalism and the Postcolonial examine forms, representations, and consequences of ubiquitous nationalisms in languages, popular culture, and literature across the globe from the perspectives of linguistics, political science, cultural studies, and literary studies.

Studies on the decolonization of Africa focus mainly on European colonization of African peoples, whereas intra-African colonization, such as British Southern Cameroons' colonial occupation, is ignored. With a colonial situation much more finely nuanced, complex and ambiguous, British Southern Cameroons is still colonially occupied. Sorting out what colonial influences inform British Southern Cameroons' quest to 'restore independence and sovereignty' in postcolonial life becomes increasingly difficult. In British Southern Cameroons: Nationalism & Conflict in Postcolonial Africa, a distinguished group of contributors examine the British Southern Cameroons' nationalism conflict from a variety of perspectives. The volume indicts the colonial occupation of the West African territory, one example where the United Nations, the organization formed to resolve conflicts is viewed as having created one in spite of its own Resolution 1514 of 1960 granting independence to colonial territories and peoples. The volume reveals one striking fact about nationalism struggles - that ordinary people and groups in colonial situations are not passive subjects of those political, historical and other circumstances, which they neither sought nor created, and which they understand and want to change. As such, the spontaneous reactions that the Southern Cameroons Question threatens African integration harbor the danger that those who have such reactions do so in a vacuum and out of context. They probably ignore the fact that there are United Nations and international principles governing the relations between peoples. They may ignore the principles governing issues of territorial acquisition as well as the freedoms and rights that all peoples are entitled to enjoy. They may also simply ignore the existence of international instruments against the crimes that no people may commit against another. It is these principles that govern the context within which all countries and people operate and interact. If these spontaneous reactions are not to become the law, then we must always examine nationalist complaints and conflicts in light of the principles laid down to govern the relations between peoples.