Becoming African: Political Transformation, Multivocality and the Birth of African Nationalism, South Africa 1860-1890

• In Event: 1556 - Knowledge Production and Politics

Abstract

This paper turns to the earliest stirring of African nationalism in South Africa in order to explore the early moments of a wide scale transformation the paradigm of African political thought and action. In exploring the birth of African nationalism, the paper aims to develop a richer account of transformations in political paradigms at large. How and why do forms of political understanding and action transform? How do new orienting political paradigms emerge? This paper argues that ‘multivocality’ was a key feature which anchored this new political movement. Multivocal concepts are able to meaningfully resonate with different political audiences even while the political logics of those audiences might be deeply at odds with each other. ‘The nation’ (isizwe in isiXhosa) was a multivocal concept that bridged different political audiences and enabled leaders to mobilize support from both African and colonial communities. Ideas of race, ethnicity, and progress were all connected to ‘the nation’ when leaders engaged different audiences. The emphasis on ‘the nation’ concept allowed resonance with vastly different audiences, and ultimately created a conceptual common ground with laid a foundation for powerful innovation in thought and practice.

Author

• Jonathan Schoots, University of Chicago