eBook

George Padmore and decolonization from below : pan-Africanism, the Cold War, and the end of empire

James, Leslie

2015,2014

Overview

01 02 From his base in London, the Trinidad-born Marxist, George Padmore, was a central figure of mid-twentieth century pan-Africanism who became critically involved in debates about the nature and practice of European imperialism. Focusing on Padmore's political manoeuvring, Leslie James traces his politics through the ongoing influence of the Caribbean and the legacy of the Garvey movement; the international communist movement and Soviet decolonization; debates about fascism and colonialism; the new 'reform' rhetoric apparent in World War II; the beginnings of the Cold War; and, pivotally, post-war African politics that confronted a wealth of new dynamics including independent Ghana, apartheid South Africa, and the Mau Mau Emergency in Kenya. Within the ideas and political practice of this forthright man lie a number of common questions about the circulation of ideas, the shape of black radical thought, and the weight of Cold War politics within the modern history of European imperialism and the end of empire. 02 02 This book argues that the rising tide of anti-colonialism after the 1930s should be considered a turning point not just in harnessing a new mood or feeling of unity, but primarily as one that viewed empire, racism, and economic degradation as part of a system that fundamentally required the application of strategy to their destruction. 13 02 Leslie James is Leverhulme Early Career Fellow in the Department of African Studies and Anthropology, University of Birmingham. Prior to this, she was Lecturer in World History at the University of Cambridge. Other publications include the forthcoming volume, Decolonization and the Cold War: Negotiating Independence , co-edited with Elisabeth Leake. 04 02 Introduction: The Artful Anti-Colonialist 1. Origins: 'The Most Completely Political Negro' 2. Putting Empire in Black and White: Padmore's Ideas about Race and Empire 3. 'The Long, Long Night is Over': A War of Opportunity? 4. Writing Anti-Imperial Solidarity from London: George Padmore's Colonial Journalism, 1940-1951 5. The Psychological Moment: The Colonial Office, Pan-Africanism, and the Problem of the Soviet Union, 1946-1950 6. A Buttress for the 'Beacon Light' 7. The Era of Padmore the 'Outsider': Nation, Diaspora, and Modernity, 1950-1956 8. Ghana, Death, and the Afterlife Conclusion: 'The Soliloquy of Africa'

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan,Palgrave Macmillan UK
• Subject: 20th Century History / Africa -- History -- Autonomy and independence movements / African diaspora / British Imperial / Colonialism & imperialism / Colonialism & Post-Colonialism / Cultural History / Decolonization / Decolonization -- Africa -- History -- 20th century / History / Imperial and Postcolonial History / Imperial and postcolonial history; race history; decolonisation / Imperialism and Colonialism / International Relations / Modern History / National liberation & independence, post-colonialism / Nationalism / Nationalism -- Africa -- History -- 20th century / Padmore, George, 1902-1959 / Palgrave History Collection / Pan-Africanism / Pan-Africanism -- History -- 20th century / Political History / POLITICAL SCIENCE / Postcolonial Studies / Race and Ethnicity / Social & cultural history / Social History
• ISBN: 9781137352019, 1137352019, 9781137352026, 1137352027, 9781349469062, 1349469068