SELF-DETERMINATION, KINSHIP NETWORKS, AND THE POSSIBILITY OF AN INTERNATIONAL BLACK COMMONWEALTH

Abstract

In this essay, I want to address two questions that I recognize as central to both institutional and non-institutional frameworks of Black political thought, namely: “What is the nature of Black selfdetermination?”, and “How should self-determination for Black people be achieved?”. Concerning the first question, I will defend a position some Black theorists call “Black Internationalism”1, and describe how this position most accurately aligns with the goal of Black self-determination and how theorists have applied this principle in the intellectual tradition of Black political thought. I will address the second question by defending a position I refer to as the “Corrective Commonwealth View.” Specifically, I will attempt to show how Cedric Robinson’s framework for institutional Black sovereignty offers a more promising outlook for theorists and activists committed to the principle of Black selfdetermination than rivaling initiatives such as Black nation-state sovereignty, nation-state-based reparations programs, public policy initiatives, etc. Overall, I hope to offer a unique picture of Black self-determination that challenges traditional, Eurocentric assumptions about statecraft and national sovereignty. Before I address these concerns, I need to provide a brief sketch of the history of Black Nationalist discourse.