Set the World on Fire: Black Nationalist Women and the Global Struggle for Freedom (Politics and Culture in Modern America)

With Set the World on Fire, Dr. Keisha Blain reframes how we think about Black Nationalism and civil rights struggles in the twentieth century. In her incredibly well researched and highly readable book, she uses previously forgotten sources, ranging from government records to artistic expression in poetry and music, to challenge the prevailing narrative of Black Nationalism and the civil rights movement.Whereas previous historians have told the history of black global struggle in the late-nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, often culminating with a decline in the 1920s, Dr. Blain picks up the narrative at this moment and shows that rather than receding the movement thrived during the Great Depression, WWII, and the Cold War. African American women, in particular, played central roles in the movement during this period and served as some of the most influential local, national, and global leaders. It is around and within the stories of these amazing women that Dr. Blain weaves her narrative.The women who helmed this Black Nationalist movement came from diverse backgrounds with significant numbers coming from the poor and working classes. These activists defy easy categories. Among them were conservatives AND radicals, communists AND capitalists. Despite their differing philosophies, all of them remained committed to what Blain calls “a global racial consciousness and commitment to universal emancipation.”By centering her narrative on these often under-appreciated activists and their expression of a “black internationalism,” Dr. Blain transforms the way we think about the United States struggle for civil rights. Rather than geographically isolated or exclusive to Americans, it is an international movement where poor women and their allies fought alongside activists from across the Black Diaspora as they battled for African American freedom within the worldwide fight for justice and equality.This book is surely one the best recent history releases and shatters the boundaries of African American, Global, and Women’s History. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of struggles for freedom and the commanding place of black women in its hard fought battles.

This is a superb book. In clear, jargon-free prose, Keisha N. Blain fills an important hole in the historiography be examining the role of Black women in pan-African nationalist movements between the time Marcus Garvey was arrested to the onset of the modern civil rights movement. The stories she tells are riveting and fascinating, particularly the way some of these women pragmatically allied with the most unsavory of white supremacists to accomplish their goals. Blain is admiring while remaining critical of her subjects. Along with articulating their pragmatism, she notes that they maintained attachments to biological racialism while other activists, especially liberals and leftists, moved away from these views. She recognizes their economic conservatism, in the mold of Booker T. Washington and Garvey. She categorizes their actions as "proto-feminist," pushing the boundaries of their times while remaining committed to a patriarchal nationalist vision. Blain's archival research enables her to paint rich portraits of these women. Overall, the book is informative and entertaining, and I recommend it to all interested in nationalism, feminism, Black history, and American history.

This book should be read by everyone, that's how good & informative it is.

Superb

Excellent book! I learnt facts that I did not know from prior books and articles! Great resource!

This is a great book on such an important topic. The author offers an original perspective and covers an aspect of black women's history that I didn't know much about. The writing is clear and the author does a really nice job of keeping the reader engaged. I would recommend this book for anyone interested in history and politics.

Blain's "Set the World on Fire" retells the history of black nationalist thought and culture through the perspective of the women involved in the movement throughout its inception, rise to power, and decline. However Blain doesn't just foreground Black women's voices; her text argues that black women were essential to the development of Black nationalist thought and political activism and centers their work that has been forgotten by most historical narratives covering Black radical thought. Blain's historiography is comprehensive, masterful, and necessary. If you are interested in Black nationalist thought, Black radical thought, Black cultural/political history, activism, etc., Blain's text is a necessary historiography that is an exemplar of intersectional feminist historical criticism. If you are unfamiliar with Black cultural history, this text is accessible and is presented narratively, which breathes life into the Black radical women like Amy Jacques Garvey, Mittie Maude Lena Gordon, and Celia Jane Allen that formed the Black nationalist movement. Blain is also willing to tease out some of the more questionable practices of Black nationalist women, including partnerships with prominent White supremacist leaders in the South to fund relocation efforts to Liberia. Blain does not romanticize these figures and examines them fairly while centering their stories. Like the aims of Black Lives Matter today to include the voices and concerns of those historically marginalized by Black political discourse, Blain’s "Set the World on Fire" allows Black nationalist women a voice in the historical record to speak on their radical vision for Black empowerment and disaporic citizenship.