Skip to main content

How Relevant Are Black Nationalism and Pan-Africanism in the Twenty-First Century?

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Xenophobia, Nativism and Pan-Africanism in 21st Century Africa
  • 307 Accesses

Abstract

Before there can be a discussion of Black Nationalism and Pan-Africanism, both African Americans and Africans must articulate and answer two questions: Who am I and what do I want? Countless research has been conducted that discussed Black Nationalism and Pan-Africanism. From those efforts, the issues are clear: racism, injustice, systematic oppression in America, greed, corruption, disregard for human life and dignity, xenophobia, and nativism in Africa. While these are recognized issues, what is still largely unknown is how to improve the life experiences for African Americans and Africans, which include emancipation in all forms, as well as political, cultural, spiritual, and economic advancements. The forces that maintain the status quo, both in America and Africa, are quite powerful; it is yet unclear if and how they can be dismantled. This chapter seeks to explore if either Black Nationalism or Pan-Africanism is relevant in the twenty-first century as a viable path to uplift the oppressed in the United States and Africa.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 109.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 139.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 139.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. 1.

    James Baldwin. The Fire Next Time (New York: Vintage, 1963), 93.

  2. 2.

    https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/21/africa/nigeria-sars-protests-police-explainer-intl/index.html

  3. 3.

    Thabiti Asukile, “The All-Embracing Black Nationalist Theories of David Walker’s Appeal,” The Black Scholar Volume 29, No. 4 (1999): p. 16

  4. 4.

    Ibid., 16

  5. 5.

    Michael O. West, “Like a River: The Million Man March and the Black Nationalist Tradition in the United States,” Journal of Historical Sociology Volume 12, No. 1 (1999): p. 82.

  6. 6.

    Ibid., 83.

  7. 7.

    Ibid., 84.

  8. 8.

    Ibid., 84.

  9. 9.

    Jeremiah W. Moses, The Golden Age of Black Nationalism, 1850-1925. (New York: Oxford University Press, 1988), p. 9.

  10. 10.

    Ibid., 40.

  11. 11.

    Michael O. West, “Like a River: The Million Man March and the Black Nationalist Tradition in the United States,” Journal of Historical Sociology Volume 12, No. 1 (1999): p. 85.

  12. 12.

    Ibid.

  13. 13.

    Abigail Higgins. “Red Summer of 1919: How Black WWI Vets Fought Back Against Racist Mobs,” History.com, https://www.history.com/news/red-summer-1919-riots-chicago-dc-great-migration

  14. 14.

    Simboonath Singh, “Resistance, Essentialism, and Empowerment in Black Nationalist Discourse in the African Diaspora : A Comparison of the Back to Africa, Black Power, and Rastafari Movements,” Journal of African American Studies. Vol. 8, No. 3 (2004): p. 22.

  15. 15.

    Michael O. West, “Like a River: The Million Man March and the Black Nationalist Tradition in the United States,” Journal of Historical Sociology Volume 12, No. 1 (1999): p. 86.

  16. 16.

    Ibid., 88.

  17. 17.

    Ibid., 90.

  18. 18.

    “Her Story,” Black Lives Matter, 2013, https://blacklivesmatter.com/herstory/

  19. 19.

    Ibid.

  20. 20.

    https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2019/04/09/race-in-america-2019/

  21. 21.

    Victoria Moorwood, “19 Black families buy over 90 acres of land to create a safe city for Black people,” Revote, Social Justice, August 28, 2020, https://www.revolt.tv/2020/8/28/21405808/black-families-buy-land-georgia-safe-city

  22. 22.

    Ibid.

  23. 23.

    Olayiwola Abegunrin and Sabella Ogbobode, Pan-Africanism in Modern Times: Challenges, Concerns, and Constraints (Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2016), p. 2.

  24. 24.

    Vincent B. Khapoya, The African Experience (New York: Pearson Education, Inc 1994), p. 151.

  25. 25.

    Ibid., p. 151.

  26. 26.

    Jeremiah W. Moses, The Golden Age of Black Nationalism, 1850-1925. (New York: Oxford University Press, 1988)

  27. 27.

    Kathleen O’Mara Wahle. “Alexander Crummell: Black Evangelist and Pan-Negro Nationalist,” Phylon (1960), Vol. 29, No. 4 (1968): p. 388.

  28. 28.

    James Baldwin. The Fire Next Time (New York: Vintage, 1963), 80-81.

  29. 29.

    Vincent B. Khapoya, The African Experience (New York: Pearson Education, Inc 1994), p. 153.

  30. 30.

    Ibid., 156.

  31. 31.

    https://www.history.com/topics/africa/apartheid

  32. 32.

    Olayiwola Abegunrin and Sabella Ogbobode, Pan-Africanism in Modern Times: Challenges, Concerns, and Constraints (Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2016), p. 238.

  33. 33.

    Ibid., 157.

  34. 34.

    Ali Muzuri, “Pan-Africanism: From Poetry to Power,” Journal of Opinion, Vol 23, No. 1 (1995): p. 36

  35. 35.

    Ibid., p. 36.

  36. 36.

    Kwame Nantambu, “Pan-Africanism versus Pan-African Nationalism an Afrocentric Analysis,” Journal of Black Studies, Vol. 28, No. 5 (1998): p. 568.

  37. 37.

    Vincent B. Khapoya, The African Experience (New York: Pearson Education, Inc 1994), p. 140

  38. 38.

    Olayiwola Abegunrin and Sabella Ogbobode, Pan-Africanism in Modern Times: Challenges, Concerns, and Constraints (Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2016), p. 3-7

  39. 39.

    Ibid., 9.

  40. 40.

    Ibid., 67.

  41. 41.

    Ibid., 68.

  42. 42.

    Norbert Kersting. “New Nationalism and Xenophobia in Africa – A New Inclination?” Africa Spectrum, Vol. 44, No. 1 (2009): p. 13.

  43. 43.

    Ibid.

  44. 44.

    Jonathan Crush and Surata Ramachandran., “Xenophobia, International Migration and Development,” Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, Vol. 11, No. 2 (2010): p. 217.

  45. 45.

    Ali Muzuri. 1995. Pan-Africanism: From Poetry to Power. Journal of Opinion, (23) 1. Page 36

  46. 46.

    Olayiwola Abegunrin and Sabella Ogbobode. 2016. Pan-Africanism in Modern Times: Challenges, Concerns, and Constraints., Lexington Books: Lanham, MD. Pages 72-73

  47. 47.

    Ibid., 247.

Bibliography

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Ilo, S. (2021). How Relevant Are Black Nationalism and Pan-Africanism in the Twenty-First Century?. In: Abidde, S.O., Matambo, E.K. (eds) Xenophobia, Nativism and Pan-Africanism in 21st Century Africa. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-82056-5_2

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-82056-5_2

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-82055-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-82056-5

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics