Overview

This book argues that the rising tide of anti-colonialism after the 1930s should be considered a turning point not just in harnessing a new mood or feeling of unity, but primarily as one that viewed empire, racism, and economic degradation as part of a system that fundamentally required the application of strategy to their destruction.

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9781137352019

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Reviews

Does a superb job of situating the political thought and activism of George Padmore within the wider patterns of Cold War politics and the politics of empire. ... Leslie James is to be praised for a ground-breaking work of intellectual history that critically analyses the political thought of a figure whose previous neglect seems, thankfully, to be coming to an end. ... her book will, however, be the standard against which all future studies of George Padmore must be measured. (Daniel Whittall, Twentieth Century British History, Vol. 27 (2), June, 2016) Leslie James has done the most thorough analysis of Padmore's political thought and strategies as expressed in his writings and in the letters which survive. ... this is a lucid, well-organised and well researched study of an important figure in anti-colonial politics from the beginning of the 1930s to 1959; the sophisticated analysis of a large body of writing and its changing contexts make this an important contribution to our understanding of the times as well as the man. (Peter D. Fraser, Commonwealth & Comparative Politics, Vol. 53 (4), 2015)

'One cannot read this book without understanding the complexities of George Padmore as it successfully weaves his extraordinary political life, reviews his prodigious political journalism and details some of the deep personal relationships he had. This is the finest historical scholarship to date on George Padmore.' - Anthony Bogues, Lyn Crost Professor of Social Sciences and Critical Theory, Brown University 'George Padmore is a fascinating figure whose life and thought bear on many of the most important aspects of modern history: race, radical anti-colonialism, the end of empire and the role of the USSR. Leslie James's book is a major contribution to British, imperial and world history.' - C. A. Bayly, Professor Emeritus, University of Cambridge, and Professor, Queen Mary, University of London '... a full and nuanced account of the remarkable life and career of George Padmore, including his importance to the notable international network of black intellectuals from the 1920s to 1950s, and, in particular, his intellectual and political contribution to the development of both anti-colonial nationalism in Africa through his relationship to such key figures as Jomo Kenyatta, Nnamdi Azikiwe and Kwame Nkrumah, and the still illusive goal of a transformative Pan-Africanism.' - Bruce Berman, Professor Emeritus, Queen's University, Canada

Author Information

Leslie James is Leverhulme Early Career Fellow in the Department of African Studies and Anthropology, University of Birmingham. Prior to this, she was Lecturer in World History at the University of Cambridge. Other publications include the forthcoming volume, Decolonization and the Cold War: Negotiating Independence, co-edited with Elisabeth Leake.

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