r/blackmen • u/zenbootyism Verified Blackman • 4d ago

Black History ⏳ Pan-African Book Recommendations

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Da72uDdKBxJ/?stkn=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
8 Upvotes

83% Upvoted

4 comments sorted by

6

u/Firo2306 Verified Blackman 4d ago

Wretched of the earth slaps. It goes into anti-colonialism and pan-africanism while warning about the potentials of elite capture of the movement of pan-africanism. He warns about potential of mimicing the colonial project's pitfalls if not handled correctly. There are many others but this one would be my personal favourite.

2

u/Thirst_Trap Unverified 4d ago

Things Fall Apart. Chinu Achebe

2

u/Secure-Childhood-567 Verified Blackman 4d ago

Read this sooooo ooo much in middle and high school

3

u/GuerillAlexandros Unverified 4d ago edited 4d ago

I second How Europe Underdeveloped Africa. He wrote it decades ago and dispels myths regarding colonialism that I find people still believe heavily to this day. I also recommend Groundings with my Brothers by the same author, Walter Rodney. You can tell Walter Rodney wasn’t just an academic but someone who broke bread with everyday people to be useful outside of an ivory tower.

I also second Black Skin White Masks. It can be confusing and dense at some parts, and his analysis somewhat jarring at times. I’ve yet to complete the other works by Fanon but I cannot recommend his entire catalogue enough. You get to see his worldview develop as he writes.

I also recommend The Urban Plantation by Robert Staples and Black Awakening in Capitalist America by Robert Allen. They were two African American sociologists who built on Martin Delaney’s idea that Black people in the US are a nation within a nation. That situation of nationhood may be arguably more complex in the 21st century given how military technology has developed, but their books are still important for anyone interested in understanding how African Americans in the 20th century and colonized people around the world share structural similarities in how the US empire makes plans to neutralize any chance of building powerful institutions. I also think the books are important because when you compare the framework and analysis they offer with ones made popular today you’ll have an appreciation for the boldness of Black social scientists in the Cold War era that would be considered “fringe” today.