Rawlings, Sankara, Ghaddafi, and Nasser: Soldiers as Intellectuals, Nationalists, Pan-Africanists, and Statesmen - H-Net
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H-Announce
Rawlings, Sankara, Ghaddafi, and Nasser: Soldiers as
Intellectuals, Nationalists, Pan-Africanists, and Statesmen
Announcement published by Sabella Abidde on Monday, March 29, 2021
Type:
Call for Papers
Date:
May 30, 2021
Location:
Alabama, United States
Subject Fields:
African History / Studies, Area Studies, Black History / Studies, Middle East History / Studies,
Political Science
Rawlings, Sankara, Ghaddafi, and Nasser
Soldiers as Intellectuals, Nationalists, Pan-Africanists, and
Statesmen
Editors: Sabella Abidde, Ph.D. and Felix Kumah-Abiwu, Ph.D.
In the annals of modern African political history, four soldiers and coup plotters --
Jerry Rawlings (Ghana), Moammar Gaddafi (Libya), Thomas Sankara (Burkina Faso),
and Gamal Abdel Nasser (Egypt) -- were rarities. They were at once intellectuals,
nationalists, pan-Africanists, and statesmen. Their exceptionality is the reason for
this edited volume. For more than four decades, beginning in the early 1950s
through the tail-end of the twentieth century, Africa was the bastion of military
coups bested perhaps only by Latin America. These sudden and extralegal
overthrows of governments were so routine that many came to view coupists as
unprofessional and unpatriotic members of the military that were ill-equipped to
govern modern states and their various institutions.
Nonetheless, there were exceptions to the typical: soldiers who transformed their
immediate communities and, by extension, the continent. While the military’s role in
politics is still a subject of intense debate in the scholarly/public domain, it is
indisputable that some of Africa’s former military leaders went on to become icons
and respected leaders of their time. The aim of this paper, therefore, is to examine
why and how Rawlings, Gaddafi, Sankara, and Nasser became rarities in African and
world politics. It also seeks to understand their enduring legacies -- how their lives
and policies continue to impact the African psyche and worldview. Of the four
personalities, Thomas Isidore Noël Sankara – a Marxist–Leninist – was the most
enigmatic having spent fewer years in office. He was assassinated at a relatively
Citation: Sabella Abidde. Rawlings, Sankara, Ghaddafi, and Nasser: Soldiers as Intellectuals, Nationalists, Pan-Africanists, and
Statesmen. H-Announce. 03-29-2021.
https://networks.h-net.org/node/73374/announcements/7483564/rawlings-sankara-ghaddafi-and-nasser-soldiers-intellectuals
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
1H-Announce
young age of 37 in 1987. Nonetheless, thirty-four years after his murder, he
continues to capture the imagination of several generations across the continent.
Jerry John Rawlings was larger than life: Charismatic, brilliant, and an excellent
orator. He successfully transited from a military head of state to become a civilian
president of Ghana in 1993.
Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar Gaddafi was for most of his life universally
known as Colonel Gaddafi. Not only was he in office the longest (42 years), but he
was also the most reviled by the western media and capitals. His overthrow and
assassination were, by some accounts, encouraged and endorsed by some western
capitals. Gamal Abdel Nasser was the prime minister (1954-56), and later the
president of Egypt (1956–70). His priority was the sovereignty of Egypt, then the
Arab world. In later years, he turned his attention to Sub-Saharan Africa where he
found a kindred spirit in Kwame Nkrumah (one of the giants of Pan-Africanism).
How did these men -- Rawlings, Sankara, Ghaddafi, and Nasser -- shaped and
influenced the African world? What made them different from all the other soldiers
who staged successful military coups on the continent? What was their leadership
style and legacy? What do we know about their personality, intellect, ideology, and
commitment to the emancipation, growth and development of the continent? What
were the criticisms against these men? We know some, but there are much more we
do not know about them. Hence, we invite scholars and public intellectuals to
contribute chapters to this book project. While we have suggested topics, we also
invite prospective contributors to submit abstracts on topics that are not listed –
especially if such topics fall within the overall theme of this project. The suggested
topics are:
SECTION ONE: MILITARY ENGAGEMENT IN AFRICA’S POLITICAL SPACE
1. The African Military: The Colonial and Post-Colonial Years - An Overview
2. Civil-Military Relations in Ghana and Burkina Faso – A Comparative
Assessment
3. Civil-Military Relations in Libya and Egypt – A Comparative Assessment
4. A Survey of Military Coup D’état 1953-2021
SECTION TWO: GHANA AND JERRY RAWLINGS
Citation: Sabella Abidde. Rawlings, Sankara, Ghaddafi, and Nasser: Soldiers as Intellectuals, Nationalists, Pan-Africanists, and
Statesmen. H-Announce. 03-29-2021.
https://networks.h-net.org/node/73374/announcements/7483564/rawlings-sankara-ghaddafi-and-nasser-soldiers-intellectuals
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
2H-Announce
1. Jerry John Rawlings: A Concise Biography
th
2. First Era of Jerry Rawlings as a Military Leader (June 4 , 1979): A Critical
Analysis
3. Second Era of Jerry Rawlings as a Military Leader (1981 to 1993): A Critical
Analysis
4. Third Era of Jerry Rawlings as a Democratic President (1993-2001): Ideology
and Leadership Style
SECTION THREE: BURKINA FASO AND THE DREAM DEFERRED
1. Thomas Sankara: A Brief Biography
2. Thomas Sankara In the Eyes of France
3. Thomas Sankara: Ideology and Leadership Style
4. Burkina Faso: Thirty-Four Years Later
SECTION THREE: THE ICONOCLAST IN THE DESSERT
1. Muammar Gaddafi: A Brief Biography
2. Muammar Gaddafi: The Soldiering Years, Revolution in Africa/and the Arab
World
3. Colonel Gaddafi: A Pan-Arabists, A Pan-Africanist, or both
4. NATO and Libya: A Decade of Instability and Unrest
SECTION FOUR: A SOLDIER FROM THE CRADLE OF CIVILIZATION
1. Gamal Abdel Nasser: A Life, A Biography
2. Egypt in Gamal Abdel Nasser’s Years
3. Gamal Abdel Nasser: A Hero in Africa and the Arab World
4. Egypt and the Arab World: Five Decades After Nasser
FORMATTING/CITATION/DUE DATES:
1. Please submit a 300-350-word abstract plus a 150-250-word biography (About
the Author) by 30 May 2021. You will be notified of acceptance or rejection of
your abstract by June 15, 2021
2. The completed chapter, 8000-9000 words (including notes/references) is due
on 30 November 2021. Information regarding the publisher will be
transmitted later. For formatting/citation, please adhere to the Chicago Manual
Citation: Sabella Abidde. Rawlings, Sankara, Ghaddafi, and Nasser: Soldiers as Intellectuals, Nationalists, Pan-Africanists, and
Statesmen. H-Announce. 03-29-2021.
https://networks.h-net.org/node/73374/announcements/7483564/rawlings-sankara-ghaddafi-and-nasser-soldiers-intellectuals
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
3H-Announce
of Styles (Chicago: Endnotes/References, no intext-citations)
3. Please send your abstract, contact info, and inquiry about topics to
Sabidde@gmail.com and please cc the coeditor at
fkumahabiwu@gmail.com
ABOUT THE EDITORS:
Sabella O. Abidde is a professor of political science and a member of the graduate
faculty at Alabama State University. He is an interdisciplinary scholar with an MA in
political science from Minnesota State University, and a Ph.D. in African Studies,
World Affairs, Public Policy and Development Studies from Howard University. His
scholarship includes published volumes on Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
Dr. Abidde is the author/editor/co-editor of several publications including Reflections
on Exile and Migration: African Scholars and Intellectuals in North American
Academies (Routledge, 2020); and African Migrants and the Refugee Crisis
(Springer, 2020). He is a member of the Association of Global South Studies (AGSS);
the Caribbean Studies Association (CSA); the Latin American Studies Association
(LASA); and the African Studies & Research Forum (ASRF).
Felix Kumah-Abiwu is an Associate Professor at the Department of Pan-African
Studies at Kent State University. He is also the Founding Director of the Center for
African Studies at Kent State. He received his Ph.D. in Political Science from West
Virginia University. He also studied at Ohio University and the Legon Center for
International Affairs and Diplomacy (LECIAD), University of Ghana. He is the author
of The Dynamics of U.S. Narcotics Policy Change: Implications for the Global
Narcotics Regime (2012). Dr. Kumah-Abiwu’s scholarly articles have also appeared
in the Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs (The Round Table), Journal of
Pan African Studies, West Africa Review, International Journal of Public
Administration, Journal of Economics/Sustainable Development, Journal of Men’s
Studies and Commonwealth & Comparative Politics.
Contact Info:
Dept of History and Political Science
Alabama State University
Citation: Sabella Abidde. Rawlings, Sankara, Ghaddafi, and Nasser: Soldiers as Intellectuals, Nationalists, Pan-Africanists, and
Statesmen. H-Announce. 03-29-2021.
https://networks.h-net.org/node/73374/announcements/7483564/rawlings-sankara-ghaddafi-and-nasser-soldiers-intellectuals
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
4H-Announce
Montgomery, AL 36104
Contact Email:
Sabidde@gmail.com
Citation: Sabella Abidde. Rawlings, Sankara, Ghaddafi, and Nasser: Soldiers as Intellectuals, Nationalists, Pan-Africanists, and
Statesmen. H-Announce. 03-29-2021.
https://networks.h-net.org/node/73374/announcements/7483564/rawlings-sankara-ghaddafi-and-nasser-soldiers-intellectuals
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
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