Introduction
Pan-Africanism is an important concept within the theory of nationalism that was conceived of at the end of the 19th century and remains to be a vital component in a variety of ways pertaining to Africa. Pan-Africanism was a tool in the struggle against colonialism utilized by at first, members of the African Diaspora and later by people and groups within Africa in their struggle for independence. The ability of the African people to unify was seen as integral in their efforts to resist European domination and the ability to attain self-rule. There are a variety of views and definitions on Pan-Africanism but a majority of scholars agree that some degree of unification whether politically, socially, culturally, or economically …show more content…
This has more to do with the Eurocentric dimension of history, rather than a diminishment of its importance. As African studies and a more internationalized scholarship of history has begun to develop since the 1960s, more research into this topic will surely be forthcoming. This can be seen in the example of Esedebe’s book, which is one of the more recent books cited, written in 1982 and having the largest section devoted to the Fifth Pan-African Congress. Also the book by Hakim Adi and Markia Sherwood, The 1945 Manchester Pan-African Congress Revisited, is another example as it is entirely devoted to recounting the work that took place at the conference, as well as giving background to the events leading up to the …show more content…
The removal of the Europeans and the right to govern themselves was proclaimed in almost every section of the resolutions to come out of the congress. African unity was seen as the primary tool to attain freedom, primarily through the uniting of the lower working classes. Manchester began to foster a “African personality”, as it was the first congress where African had a voice, they were given equal standing to their African cousins from Europe and America, and given a chance to explain how they saw things and what they would like to see happen. The radical social change is evident as well, although in this earlier period, it occurred in small amounts. The call to arms of the workers, employing them to use their “invincible weapons” and declaring that force could be used as a last resort are essential changes to a society that had not thought that way
Pan-Africanism is an important concept within the theory of nationalism that was conceived of at the end of the 19th century and remains to be a vital component in a variety of ways pertaining to Africa. Pan-Africanism was a tool in the struggle against colonialism utilized by at first, members of the African Diaspora and later by people and groups within Africa in their struggle for independence. The ability of the African people to unify was seen as integral in their efforts to resist European domination and the ability to attain self-rule. There are a variety of views and definitions on Pan-Africanism but a majority of scholars agree that some degree of unification whether politically, socially, culturally, or economically …show more content…
This has more to do with the Eurocentric dimension of history, rather than a diminishment of its importance. As African studies and a more internationalized scholarship of history has begun to develop since the 1960s, more research into this topic will surely be forthcoming. This can be seen in the example of Esedebe’s book, which is one of the more recent books cited, written in 1982 and having the largest section devoted to the Fifth Pan-African Congress. Also the book by Hakim Adi and Markia Sherwood, The 1945 Manchester Pan-African Congress Revisited, is another example as it is entirely devoted to recounting the work that took place at the conference, as well as giving background to the events leading up to the …show more content…
The removal of the Europeans and the right to govern themselves was proclaimed in almost every section of the resolutions to come out of the congress. African unity was seen as the primary tool to attain freedom, primarily through the uniting of the lower working classes. Manchester began to foster a “African personality”, as it was the first congress where African had a voice, they were given equal standing to their African cousins from Europe and America, and given a chance to explain how they saw things and what they would like to see happen. The radical social change is evident as well, although in this earlier period, it occurred in small amounts. The call to arms of the workers, employing them to use their “invincible weapons” and declaring that force could be used as a last resort are essential changes to a society that had not thought that way