Global Garveyism

Arguing that the accomplishments of Jamaican activist Marcus Garvey and his followers have been marginalized in narratives of the black freedom struggle, this volume draws on decades of overlooked research to reveal the profound impact of Garvey’s post–World War I black nationalist philosophy around the world and across the twentieth century.

These essays examine the influence of Garvey’s Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) in Africa, Australia, North America, and the Caribbean. They highlight the poorly recognized work of many Garveyite women and show how the UNIA played a key role in shaping labor unions, political organizations, churches, and schools. They also trace the imprint of the movement on long-term developments such as decolonization in Africa and the Caribbean, the civil rights and Black Power movements in the United States, and the radical pan-African movement.

Rejecting the idea that Garveyism was a brief and misguided phenomenon, this volume exposes its scope, significance, and endurance. Together, contributors assert that Garvey initiated the most important mass movement in the history of the African diaspora, and they urge readers to rethink the emergence of modern black politics with Garveyism at the center.