Nationalism and African Intellectuals

by Toyin Falola

Book Overview

An examination of the attempt by Western-educated African intellectuals to create a 'better Africa' through connecting nationalism to knowledge, from the anti-colonial movement to the present-day.

This book is about how African intellectuals, influenced primarily by nationalism, have addressed the inter-related issues of power, identity politics, self-assertion and autonomy for themselves and their continent, from the mid-nineteenth century...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1580461492
• ISBN13: 9781580461498
• Release Date: September 2004
• Publisher: University of Rochester Press
• Length: 394 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

National and the African Intelligentsia

Falola's most recent book is a thought-provoking study of the emergence of nationalism and the evolution of the intelligentsia within Modern Africa. Beginning with the first chapter, he sets what will become the tone for the remainder of the study. Falola's book is not a historical text in the traditional sense of the word. It does not simply trace the origin and the development of nationalism(s) and intellectuals with a blind, objective eye. Instead, it is a work that constantly interrogates the very developments that he is illustrating. It is an interrogation, not in the sense that it is seeking to question the essence of nationalism or that of modern African intellectuals. Rather, it poses the tough questions and underlines the challenges faced in the development of nationalist movements and in the creation of an intelligentsia, which has the capacity of becoming an elitist group. Scholars of African history will find this text a useful tool in examining the many challenges inherent within the concepts of nationalism and the intelligentsia. Falola's work is an interrogation of these concepts. This text forces one to reflect upon the questions that are posed, many of which remain unanswered within contemporary Africa. By probing in such a manner, Falola is working toward the finding of viable solutions in this era of an independent Africa.