Tribalism, Nationalism, and Pan-Africanism

William R. Bascom
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William R. Bascom: Berkeley, California

The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 1962, vol. 342, issue 1, 21-29

Abstract: Tribalism, no longer an obstacle to self-govern ment in Africa, is still an obstacle to national unity. In Ghana, national solidarity has been built by eliminating effec tive opposition. In the Congo, tribalism has produced con flict and violence. In Nigeria, a middle course of federation has been pursued. Balkanized by rival European powers in the past, African boundary lines impose artificial divisions on already complex patterns of tribal and subtribal groupings. In some instances, tribal ties have been successfully exploited to develop a sense of national identification. Growing na tionalism, however, may become a future obstacle to broader African identification. The smallness in area and population of many colonial territories increases the urgency of African federation if independent and viable African nations are to emerge and operate in a world context. The basic responsi bility for solving these problems from the past belongs to the Africans themselves, and a solution clearly lies in merging the smaller territories with larger ones. Precedents have already been established. Thus far, Pan-Africanism has produced vigorous and sometimes almost blind stands against colonial ism. For the future, federation can increase the stature of African nations and multiply the effectiveness of work that must be done in economic development, education, communi cations, technical services, social services, and related fields.— Ed.

Date: 1962
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:anname:v:342:y:1962:i:1:p:21-29

DOI: 10.1177/000271626234200104

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