African Nationalism

Front 1

What is a nation?

Back 1

• definition has changed over the years
• common link between a community, e.g. language, culture, history, religion
• nations can be without states, e.g. Poland
• a nation is an imagined community
• sense of a shared past and a shared future within the nation
• notion of belonging
• not necessarily in one geographical location, e.g. Israel and Palestine
  

Front 2

What is a nation-state?

Back 2

• internationally recognised borders
• geographically fixed
• cultural and national identity
• notion of a nation mapped onto a geographical boundary
• nation-state was C18th-C19th phenomenon
• non-nation-state could be an empire, UK, union of countries etc.
  

Front 3

What is nationalism?

Back 3

• sense of pride in a nation
• definition changed from revolutionary to conservative
• character changes depending on context
• different strengths at different times in history
  

Front 4

Cooper

Back 4

• movement caused not just by nationalism, but by other grievances like working conditions, economic inequality, lack civil rights etc.
  
• sense of political organisation from many different social groups
• trade unions were very successful
• Africans included into political structures seized the initiative and escalated their demands for power
• creation of frameworks by colonial powers had unintended consequences
• colonialists failed to control their idea of self-government

Front 5

Schmidt (Guinea)

Back 5

• nationalism was a two-way process, with leadership and people working together
• nationalist movement RDA in Guinea fell out of step with other branches of the movement so developed a broad movement united by their anti-colonial nationalist message
  
• experience of colonial rule was very important in bringing people together
• symbolistic movement (elephants) designed to bring people together
• infusing idea of nation with symbols, ideas and theologies: emanated from elephant as the King of Beasts and a symbol of the strength and character of national identity
• diversity of sources
• important role of women in the nationalist movement
• created shared identity through clothing, songs, groups etc.

Front 6

Allman (Asante, Ghana)

Back 6

• strong, centralised pre-colonial kingdom
• economic and political background
• social problems
• youngmen: status, class of people similar to the petty bourgeoisie; existed for a long time; WWII important in changing their social status
• many different interests from many different social groups
• old elites take over the movement
• no youngmen present in 1956 parliament
  
• nationalism was a vehicle for dissent and a secondary goal in itself
• competing interests within the nation
• ultimately fails in its objectives

Front 7

How did what Cooper calls the 'ruling fictions' of European colonial regimes shape the political responses of Africans?

Back 7

• ruling fiction of the nation-state is homogeneity
  
• ruling fiction of empire is management and exploitation of difference (comes closer to embodying its fiction)

Front 8

What were the goals of nationalist leaders in Africa?

Back 8

• political and social autonomy
  
• equal rights for black citizens
• self-government
• to reclaim their state

Front 9

Who were the supporters of nationalism?

Back 9

• workers
• women
• young people
• intellectuals
• basically everybody
  

Front 10

What were the roles played by labour strikes and Union organising?

Back 10

• labourers in Dakar went on strike in December 1945 over unequal pay and poor living conditions: shut down for 12 days, women joined in, market sellers refused to sell food to whites, daily mass meetings held to keep the entire public involved
• specialist in labour issues came to Dakar to grant major concessions like wage increases and family allowances for civil servants: Africans deserved to be treated in the same way as French families
• unified labour code made unions' prime political objective after 1947 (made law in 1952)
  

Front 11

How should anti-colonial or anti-modernisation social movements that preceded or challenged African nationalism be interpreted by historians?

Back 11

• a sort of 'first wave' of nationalism
• nationalist movement beginning in disputes over social, racial and economic inequality
• not the inevitable beginnings of nationalism but definitely a precursor for the beginnings of organised and political resistance