Introduction: New Reflections on Nationalism, National Projects and Pan-Africanism in the 21st Century

Abstract

Steven Reicher and Nick Hopkins characterised nationalism as 'the best of beliefs' and 'the worst of beliefs'. This characterisation of nationalism was further amplified by a British Labour politician who likened nationalism to electricity which is able to 'electrocute someone in the electric chair or it can heat and light the world'. The British politician elaborated that: "Nationalism can be an exhilarating revolutionary force for progress ... But we only have to open our newspapers today to areas where nationalism becomes in the wrong hands a primeval force of darkness and reaction ... I can say cynically, we ought to utilise the potential revolutionary force of nationalism and by our leadership, ensure that the dark side of the beast does not emerge." Throughout human history nationalism has unfolded and established itself as an ambiguous and ambivalent ideology informing the protean processes of identity making, nation-building and state-making. Nationalism has featured as a crucial anchor for new human solidarities as well as a motive force for progressive struggles for decolonisation and democratisation. At the heart of nationalism has also been the idea of construction of self-determining modern nation-states and national projects. This agenda of nationalism has continued to exist in postcolonial Africa as 'work-in-progress' if not 'unfinished business' Rosa Luxemburg highlighted the conundrums associated with notions of nations as they sought to achieve self-determination.