Dr. Wendell Nii Laryea Adjetey, ’Cross-Border Cosmopolitans: The Making of a Pan-African North America’

Dr. Wendell Nii Laryea Adjetey (Nii Laryea Osabu I, Atrékor Wé Oblahii kè Oblayéé Mantsè) — Associate Professor of History and William Dawson Scholar at McGill University — discusses his book: 'Cross-Border Cosmopolitans: The Making of a Pan-African North America '(The University of North Carolina Press, 2023). His book examines how African-descended peoples engaged in liberation movements based on their shared Black and African identities. Temporally, it spans the long 20th century, from late Reconstruction to the year 2000.

Adjetey employs nuanced notions of the concept ‘Pan-Africanism’ in his book. The ‘big’ Pan-Africanism encompasses the self-determination and emancipation of the African continent and its peoples; while other, ‘lowercase Pan-Africanisms’ emphasise Black pride and cultural identity, without always being tied to nation-building.

Co-hosts: 

Darold Cuba, PhD Candidate. Darold researches how Black landowners forged autonomous “freedom colonies” after emancipation, linking their resistance to Jim Crow racism to a global tradition of post-emancipation marronage.

Megan Renoir, PhD Candidate. Megan’s area of focus is Indigenous sovereignty and land conflict. 

Editing, production and cover art by Daisy Semmler. 

Thanks for listening. 

Timestamps: 

(00:00) Introduction

(02:39) The Genesis of ‘Cross-Border Cosmopolitans’

(05:19) Primary Intervention in the Broader Historiography

(09:03) Unpacking ‘Pan-Africanisms’

(12:35) The Stories Being Told

(21:15) Canada, Borderlands, and Cross-Border Dynamics

(25:54) The Significance of Mobility

(30:15) Dr Adjetey’s Research Process

(40:19) Lessons and Takeaways