Theories of Black Transnationalism: A Case Study of Garveyism and Marcus Garvey's Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA)

BTSU 201

The concept of blackness as "transnational" is derived from the idea that there exists both a cultural and political diasporic continuity among Afrodescendants across boundaries and borders, despite the destructive effects of the transatlantic slave trade. The term transnational is defined in the humanities as "the fluidity with which ideas, objects, capital, and people now move across borders and boundaries." I argue that there exists within black transnationalism both the concept of continuous diasporic exchange as well as the cooperative struggle against oppressive forces. In making use of this concept, more isolated conceptions of blackness are transcended by invoking a more intercultural and transnational perspective. This essay seeks to examine the ways in which contemporary scholars of black studies have analyzed the notion of black transnationalism and its effectiveness specifically, within black resistance movements dedicated to social change from the early twentieth century to the present. Transnationalism has become an effective unit of analysis among scholars of black studies as black activism and social movements continue to surpass nationally established borders and boundaries, even well into the twenty-first century. Using Marcus Garvey’s Pan-African ideologies and his development of the United Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) as a notable case study—in conjunction with scholarly analysis—I seek to argue the ways in which Garvey promoted a transnational interpretation of blackness in his quest for unifying Afro-descended people across the globe as well as its implications for black social movements of the 21st century.