Black Nationalism in American Politics and Thought

by Dean E. Robinson

Black Nationalism in American Politics and Thought revisits the activism and arguments in support of separate black statehood from the mid-19th century to the present, detailing the ways black nationalism mirrors broader currents in U.S. politics and thought. This book challenges the idea that black nationalism is a timeless, unchanging, and anti-assimilationist impulse. It argues that black nationalism in the United States draws on analogous political strategy and thinking unique to specific historical eras--often inadvertently reproducing strategies and thinking responsible for racial inequality in the first place.

Genres: History, Politics, Nonfiction, Race, Research

Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 1 out of 5]

An extremely dull and surface-level overview of its titular subjects. Reads more like a long encyclopedia/Wikipedia entry than a theoretical analysis. It offers nothing new to the field, merely repeating facts/dates/names, and collecting them in one place. Nice for a starter book, maybe?, but it hardly gets one excited to read further. Luckily I don't need such an impetus, but other readers should look elsewhere for more and better books on Black Nationalism and its socio-political inertia.

[Pascal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good historical and political analysis of Black Nationalism in the 20th Century. The explanation of how Black Nationalist and Black Power organizations morphed into the community control NGOs and government organizations and programs that provided jobs for middle class and elite Blacks as well, while ending up engaging in the traditional politics of cultural pluralism is crucial. Very valuable information here. A must read.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rare overview of the more extreme forms of resistance to racism in America. Very interesting.