Reported by Renyuan (Carl) Zhang and Disty Mahmud, Archives and History Initiative
On September 11th, 2025, 44 participants gathered for a faculty-led discussion where Professor Olsavsky presented a draft chapter from his forthcoming book. His manuscript explores themes of Pan-Africanism, African decolonization, and the reimagined legacy of Frederick Douglass. While Douglass is not traditionally placed within the Pan-Africanist tradition, Olsavsky’s research examines how his life and writings have been reinterpreted within this broader intellectual and political movement.
The discussion was enriched by three invited experts who offered feedback and perspectives. Scott McEachern, an archaeologist and Africanist scholar, drew connections between the manuscript and his own archival and archeological work throughout West Africa. He emphasized that Pan-Africanism should be seen not only as a West African project but as a wider Black Atlantic movement, shaped by coastal exchanges. He also highlighted the importance of recognizing lesser-known thinkers who contributed to these dialogues.
Professor Pouille focused on the manuscript’s attention to Douglass’s exchanges with American intellectuals. While acknowledging Douglass’s brilliance, he encouraged reframing Pan-Africanism as a collective idea. He also noted contemporary Pan-Africanist thoughts, such as youth-led movements in France and the resurgence of “Kemetic” ideas, and suggested incorporating more African scholarship into the study.
Professor Lai Henderson offered insights from an Afro-Asian perspective. She praised the inclusion of Black feminist voices and fellow abolitionists, such as Elaine Brown, and valued the effort to extend abolitionist conversations beyond the United States. Henderson also reflected on how Douglass has been reimagined and mobilized within Pan-Africanist spaces, sometimes in ways that departed from his own principles.
The seminar concluded with Professor Olsavsky’s response to the panelists’ comments. The Q&A that followed explored further questions about Douglass’s relationship to Pan-Africanism and the intellectual influences that shaped his work. Students and faculty discussed the implications of Pan-Africanism for present-day social movements across the globe.
