The Guise of African Independence
Format
Oral Presentation
Faculty Mentor Name
Dr. Jeffrey Hole
Faculty Mentor Department
English
Abstract/Artist Statement
The Western concept of independence implies that a sovereign nation is in control of its own economy and political decisions. When looking at newly “independent” Post-colonial African states in the mid 20th Century, however, these new nations did not fit under the aforementioned Western interpretation of freedom. This paper explores subsequent forms of continued US and British indirect rule of Africa by analyzing foreign and economic policy. The project comprises two parts. The first is a comparative study focusing on the differences between U.S. and U.K economic foreign policy. This project examines declassified government documents along with US and British newspapers that chronicled the postcolonial conditions of the mid 20th century. The second part of this project explores the African perspective of post-colonialism, by studying the poetry of authors such as p’Bitek Okot, who was well known for his critiques of 1970’s US and European hegemony. Ultimately, this project seeks to examine how the western world remained in control of African governments and economies, while maintaining the guise of African political independence.
Location
University of the Pacific, 3601 Pacific Ave., Stockton, CA 95211
Start Date
24-4-2021 4:30 PM
End Date
24-4-2021 4:45 PM
The Guise of African Independence
University of the Pacific, 3601 Pacific Ave., Stockton, CA 95211
The Western concept of independence implies that a sovereign nation is in control of its own economy and political decisions. When looking at newly “independent” Post-colonial African states in the mid 20th Century, however, these new nations did not fit under the aforementioned Western interpretation of freedom. This paper explores subsequent forms of continued US and British indirect rule of Africa by analyzing foreign and economic policy. The project comprises two parts. The first is a comparative study focusing on the differences between U.S. and U.K economic foreign policy. This project examines declassified government documents along with US and British newspapers that chronicled the postcolonial conditions of the mid 20th century. The second part of this project explores the African perspective of post-colonialism, by studying the poetry of authors such as p’Bitek Okot, who was well known for his critiques of 1970’s US and European hegemony. Ultimately, this project seeks to examine how the western world remained in control of African governments and economies, while maintaining the guise of African political independence.