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Meredith Rose, "'The Time Is Now': Paul Robeson and Progressive America in the 1940s" Paul Robeson was an Afro-American activist at the centre of an extraordinary group of political figures whose organised freedom struggle extended around the globe in the middle of the twentieth century. A lawyer, scholar, athlete, actor and singer, Robeson, like many of his contemporaries, was closely aligned with both the Indian independence movement and the South African freedom struggle from the 1930s to the 1950s. The 1940s activists knew both Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. This internationally aligned movement was very much the forerunner of the civil rights triumphs in the U.S. which were to come in the 1960s. It was, however, in many ways much more politically and intellectually sophisticated, inclusive and powerful than the later movement. Political critiques and activities of the 1940s activists were grounded in sophisticated understandings of the structures of global politics, the history of imperialism and what has been described as racial capitalism; struggles for freedom and justice were designed accordingly. Various and powerful cross-class and interracial alliances were formed in the context of the struggle against world fascism and devastating global war. It is no accident that this history has been ignored or obscured until very recently; individuals and organisations were targeted viciously during the McCarthy era. Recent considerations of this movement have amounted to what has been described as "excavations". But these excavations are proceeding vigorously and what is coming to light is a vibrant, potent and widespread movement, whose activities cast the later successes of the American civil rights movement in a new light; as a movement which carved out spaces for middle class Afro-Americans, but left behind the masses, which many of the 1940s activists, and especially Robeson, had championed. Robeson described himself as coming from "Progressive America", and the sense of nationhood, citizenship and modernity which is inherent in his ideas and writing are profoundly instructive on the direction which the American polity took post 1948, and illuminating and inspiring in the present day. The powerful interlinking of both human and civil rights; the vision of justice in both the domestic and international settings remain bastions of hope today. Robeson's enormous personal integrity, which saw him successfully face down assassination attempts and fend off harassment during the McCarthy era are a potent reminder of what a human life can be. It is within this framework that the notion of "progress"--in various forms--will be explored. Biography: Meredith Rose is a full time doctoral candidate in history at the University of Queensland. Her research area is race and international relations in U.S. history, with a special focus on the life and activities of African-American singer and activist Paul Robeson. She has a general interest in U.S.-African relations. |
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