Table of Contents

Preface Introduction 1. The Making of the Politics of the African Diaspora 2. Democracy or Empire? 3. To Forge a Colonial International 4. The Diaspora Moment 5. Domesticating Anticolonialism 6. Hearts and Mines 7. Remapping Africa, Rewriting Race 8. No Exit: From Bandung to Ghana Conclusion Notes Index

About the Author

Penny M. Von Eschen is Professor of History and William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor of American Studies at the University of Virginia.

Reviews

"Race against Empire ... breaks much ground in current historiography on cold war and anti-colonial practices... it is useful for its analysis of America's cold war policies, how these policies affected black political movements in the international sphere, and how, ultimately, this led to the collapse of the prominent opponents of colonialism and significant challenges to US foreign policy abroad. But Race against Empire is also important because it identifies a little-known constellation of intellectuals who, through creative and energetic insurgency in the context of cold war repressions, articulated the links necessary for building a movement of international solidarity among all oppressed peoples."-Race and Class "This story of the potential-and the obstacles-in building a solidarity movement across national boundaries retains its full relevance in today's world, even as it reveals an important chapter in the history of both African Americans and of the U.S. left."-Monthly Review "Although her central arguments are straightforward, they have a deep historical grounding. She gives attentionto the many long- and short-term conditions influencing the form and content of a diasporan identity in the 1940's... On the whole, Von Eschen paints a riveting portrait of a time in which radical anticolonialism and domestic Black civil rights marched hand in hand, before weathering the challenges of the Truman and Eisenhower years."-Against the Current "Scholars of race, social movements, political science, or the mass media will find great value in this unsentimental account of a disturbing history."-Contemporary Sociology "After reading Penny M. Von Eschen's brilliant account of African American efforts to overthrow colonialism in Africa during the 1940s and '50s, no one will be able to write about black politics without considering the international context. In the best tradition of W. E. B. Du Bois, C. L. R. James, and Cedric Robinson, she reminds us, as Malcolm X had three decades ago, that black liberation is 'not just an American problem, but a world problem.'"-Robin D. G. Kelley, author of Race Rebels: Culture, Politics, and the Black Working Class