African Americans at the League of Nations
During its 20-year existence, dozens of prominent Black activists visited the League of Nations in Geneva, including W.E.B. Du Bois, Marcus Garvey, and Alain Locke. These visits epitomised how the League idea animated African American thought in the interwar years, despite the United States remaining a non-member. This paper traces the overlooked history of African Americans at the League. In the 1920s, race reformers saw global governance as a promising new avenue for activism, yet internationalising racial issues was not a simple act of transplanting demands from Washington to Geneva. As neither colonial subjects nor stateless people, the League prompted African Americans to rethink how their circumstances differed from those of other black groups around the world. The paper explores the promise and failure of liberal internationalism on the race question in the 1920s, the rise of human rights, and the role Black reformers played in shaping the ‘American Century’.
Date:
20 May 2024, 16:45
Venue:
Dyson Perrins Building, off South Parks Road OX1 3QY
Venue Details:
Diversity Room
Speaker:
Dr Jake Hodder (University of Nottingham)
Organiser:
Dr Alex Manby, Dr Ben Gowland, and Prof Fiona McConnell, with the support of Political Worlds.
Booking required?:
Not required
Cost:
Free
Audience:
Members of the University only
Editors:
Chris White,
Donna Palfreman
