Pan-Africanism and the Historiography of International Law in Africa

MPI-TAU Transnational Legal History Workshop

  • Date: Dec 20, 2022
  • Time: 07:00 PM - 08:30 PM (Local Time Germany)
  • Speaker: Inge Van Hulle
  • (KU Leuven)
  • Location: Zoom
  • Host: Thomas Duve (MPI), Ron Harris (TAU), Assaf Likhovski (TAU), Stefan Vogenauer (MPI)
Pan-Africanism and the Historiography of International Law in Africa

The writings of late nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century African scholars who reflected on questions of international law, international relations and their historical roots were embedded in and influenced by Pan-Africanist thought as a narrative register and political project. Also after decolonisation, the Pan-African movement represented African efforts to forge a new international legal order. Can we use Pan-Africanist thought as a lens through which to view African authors’ attitudes towards European international law prior to the emergence of formally independent African states? In spite of the historical and continued importance for subsequent generations of African and Black intellectuals' historical engagement with internationalism, Pan-Africanism has not received the attention that it deserves within the history of international law. This chapter is a first tentative attempt at exploring a few foundational Pan-Africanist historically-oriented works' contributions to international law’s history.


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