The Political Thought of African Independence: An Anthology of Sources ed. by Gregory Smulewicz-Zucker (review)

Whether African independence came swiftly or slowly, and whether it was won, attained, or granted, continues to provoke stimulating debate among African political scientists, historians, and adherents of other scholarly disciplines and interdisciplinary spaces. There are, of course, no simple answers to such questions, not the least because African independence movements flourished—and continue to flourish—in vastly differing communities, nations, and historical moments, each informed by important historical specificities and exigencies. Lusophone African countries, some the site of the longest and most far-reaching European presence on the continent, waged decades-long violent wars well into the 1990s. The preponderance of francophone nations attained nominal independence almost overnight and en bloc, but continue to labor under various manifestations of neocolonialism and the specter of Françafrique. And other nations and regions, from South Sudan and Eritrea to Puntland, Biafra, and Western Sahara continue to struggle with the challenges of fully realizing independence, autonomy, and global recognition. Suffice it to say, any attempt to teach the broad history of the African independence struggle is no modest endeavor.

Gregory Smulewicz-Zucker's anthology of primary sources pertinent to the political imagination of and ideologies informing African independence is thus a very welcome resource for teachers and researchers everywhere. The collection is vast and quite comprehensive, comprising four parts, each with a short introductory essay. Beginning with early visions of independence in the mid-nineteenth century, part one offers examples of nascent pan-Africanism, local resistance, and trans-Atlantic bonds-information, with selections from a predictable cohort, including Samuel Crowther, Edward Blyden, W.E.B. du Bois, Marcus Garvey, and others. Part two, subtitled "paths to independence," showcases both the multitude of ways different actors articulated anticolonial action and the ways in which African states achieved independence, with selections from the 1945 Manchester Conference, speeches by Jomo Kenyatta, Sekou Touré, Patrice Lumumba, and many others. Part three continues the conversation into the independence era, exploring how key actors proposed the realization of complete autonomy and navigated its immense challenges and obstacles, such as white supremacy and gender inequality, with selections from Nelson Mandela, Ian Smith, Amilcar Cabral, and others. The final part continues this debate to examine the legitimacy of independence, with excerpts from Julius Nyerere, Kwame Nkrumah, a fascinating narrative by the former Malawian minister and dissident Vera Chirwa, and many others.

The assemblage of such a diverse range of texts, traversing the length and breadth of the continent, is an effective way to challenge the teleology of the nation-state. The mini-introductions offer teachers numerous avenues for the exploration of the materials in the classroom setting, and for the development of lines of questioning for student writing assignments. By broadening the conversation beyond the political realm to incorporate religious, social, cultural, and (to a far lesser extent) gendered aspirations of autonomy and agency, Smulewicz-Zucker has provided a highly teachable and engaging pedagogical product. I hope a future edition may include maps and more meticulous attention to the voices of women and youth and update the debates to the contemporary independence struggles that continue to reverberate across the continent.