The main stages in the formation and development of the concept of Pan-Africanism: History and modernity

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the concept of Pan-Africanism. The authors propose to trace the evolution of the concept by dividing the stages of its formation into three periods: American, European and directly African. This is primarily due to the historical reasons for the formation of Pan-Africanism as a concept: from the struggle of the African-American population for their rights to the use of the concept as an ideological basis for a number of political regimes in Africa. Each stage gave the concept new features. The American stage gave birth to the foundations of Pan-Africanism, putting on the agenda the idea of the struggle of individual ethnic groups for the rights and freedoms adopted in the United States. The European stage significantly expanded the geography and scope of the problems, as well as touched upon colonial issues. The African stage was marked by an attempt to bring the concept of pan-Africanism into practice. This division has also given rise to a research question about the cause-and-effect relationships between the theoretical postulates of the concept and practical application at the present stage. It was during this period that it became clear how Pan-Africanism contributed to the fight against the oppression of various ethnic groups. As conclusions, answers are offered to the question whether the concept of Pan-Africanism can become a practical embodiment of the struggle of Africans for independence from Western countries.