The New Afrikan Independence Movement and the Space of Black Power
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Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2014 Subjugated Territory: The ewN Afrikan Independence Movement and the Space of Black Power Paul Karolczyk Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Karolczyk, Paul, "Subjugated Territory: The eN w Afrikan Independence Movement and the Space of Black Power" (2014). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 721. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/721 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. SUBJUGATED TERRITORY: THE NEW AFRIKAN INDEPENDENCE MOVEMENT AND THE SPACE OF BLACK POWER A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Geography & Anthropology by Paul Karolczyk B.S., Central Connecticut State University, 2005 M.S., Central Connecticut State University, 2007 December 2014 And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty:1 Exodus 3:21 The Holy Bible, King James Version 1 This passage comes from the Biblical story of the Israelites’ exodus from slavery in Egypt to their Promised Land. Black cultures have adopted the story as a metaphor for the black freedom struggle in places where African-descended peoples trace their history of settlement to trans-Atlantic slavery. The passage is also a prophetic symbol of black nationalism’s apocalyptic tradition in the United States. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am grateful to the New Afrikan activists who shared their knowledge, life experiences, and personal space with me. They taught me an invaluable lesson about the black experience in the United States that has been profoundly illuminating. I esteem their trust in me to produce a reflective account of their movement. I am also delighted to mention the following people: my parents and ancestors for giving me life; at Louisiana State University, Dr. Helen Regis for indelibly shaping my outlook and purpose as a social scientist through her commitment to emancipatory learning and intellectual freedom, Dr. Joyce Jackson for giving me steady encouragement when the road was foggy and the end beyond sight, and Mrs. Dana Sanders for making sure I kept my work on track before deadlines approached; at Central Connecticut State University, Dr. Brian Sommers for introducing me to the work of Henri Lefebvre, and the late Dr. Ronald Fernandez, Dr. John O’Connor, and professor Mike Alewitz for enriching my interest in the study of socio-political problems; at Georgia State University and Ursinus College, Drs. Akinyele Umoja and Edward Onaci, respectively, for deepening my appreciation for interdisciplinary collaboration; at the University of Hartford and Tunxis Community College, Dr. Mari Firkatian and professor Stephen Ersinghaus, respectively, for inspiring me early on in my academic pursuits; and in my hometown of New Britain, Connecticut, Sensei Hubert Sanderson for guiding me towards the path where this all began. Many other people have influenced my growth as a scholar and human being, including a long list of students, activists, librarians, writers, artists, musicians, misfits, and dreamers. I regret not having the space to mention them all here, but I am sincerely aware and appreciative of their contributions along the way. Above all, however, my deepest gratitude goes to my wife, Doris, who shared my journey through graduate school as a fellow student, companion, collaborator, and mentor. I dedicate this work to her. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................ iii LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................................ vii LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................... viii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................................................ xi ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................. xiv CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................1 Project Description and Research Question ..................................................................................1 Chapter Outline .............................................................................................................................5 CHAPTER 2 THEORY AND LITERATURE REVIEW .............................................................14 Lefebvre’s Theory of Social Space .............................................................................................14 Lefebvre’s Influence in Geography .............................................................................................19 Politics of Place ...........................................................................................................................27 Scalar Politics ..............................................................................................................................29 Social Movements .......................................................................................................................34 Black Power Studies ....................................................................................................................38 Previous Research on NAIM .......................................................................................................41 Race and the Representational Spaces of Black Radicalism .......................................................43 Summary ......................................................................................................................................55 CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................................56 Research Design and Methodology .............................................................................................56 Interviews ....................................................................................................................................57 Archival Research .......................................................................................................................62 Participant Observation ...............................................................................................................65 Situated Knowledge .....................................................................................................................67 Positionality .................................................................................................................................70 Reflexivity ...................................................................................................................................71 Betweenness ................................................................................................................................73 Race and Fieldwork .....................................................................................................................74 Constituting the “Field” ...............................................................................................................78 Discourse Analysis ......................................................................................................................80 Geographic Information Systems ................................................................................................85 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................87 CHAPTER 4 NATIONALISM, BLACK NATIONALISM, AND BLACK POWER .................89 Nations, Nationalisms, and Nation-States ...................................................................................89 Nation, Race, and Black Nationalism ..........................................................................................92 Black Power History, Form, and Substance ..............................................................................102 CHAPTER 5 NAIM’S ANTECEDENTS ...................................................................................111 Twentieth Century Predecessors ...............................................................................................111 African Blood Brotherhood .......................................................................................................113 iv Communist Party of the United States of America ...................................................................115 National Movement for the Establishment of a 49th State ........................................................120 Nation of Islam ..........................................................................................................................121