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Living with Nkrumahism is an ambitious and successful book. It should be read by anyone interested in Nkrumah's Ghana and African national developments in the 1950s and 1960s. This well-crafted study of Ghanaian life under the rule of Kwame Nkrumah and the Convention People's Party (CPP) makes an important contribution to our understanding of a critical period in Ghana's and Africa's history....Ahlman clearly succeeds in his goal of illuminating the 'aspirations and tensions involved in living with Nkrumahism' and reconstructing a critical period in Ghana's history 'without the weight of later decades.' The time is ripe for histories like this one that re-examine the classic moment of early postcolonial nationalism. In clear, accessible style, Ahlman sets up this account as a story that needs to be told without the baggage of a later postcolonial pessimism overdetermining the narrative. Further, he meets this challenge. -- Andrew Ivaska, author of Cultured States: Youth, Gender, and Modern Style in 1960s Dar es Salaam Sterling...A much-needed work on this important period in both Ghana's history and the history of sub-Saharan Africa...Though some of the earlier works on Nkrumah and the demise of his rule are overly critical, and argue that Nkrumah's ideology and the socialism of the CPP were at odds with what the people wanted, Ahlman's work is critical yet measured....[He] bridges the gap between the overly harsh studies of the late 1960s and 1970s and the more recent sentiments of Ghanaians who believe that Nkrumahism managed to bring some benefits to Ghana.

-The time is ripe for histories like this one that re-examine the classic moment of early postcolonial nationalism. In clear, accessible style, Ahlman sets up this account as a story that needs to be told without the baggage of a later postcolonial pessimism overdetermining the narrative. Further, he meets this challenge.- -- Andrew Ivaska, author of Cultured States: Youth, Gender, and Modern Style in 1960s Dar es Salaam

The time is ripe for histories like this one that re-examine the classic moment of early postcolonial nationalism. In clear, accessible style, Ahlman sets up this account as a story that needs to be told without the baggage of a later postcolonial pessimism overdetermining the narrative. Further, he meets this challenge. -- Andrew Ivaska, author of Cultured States: Youth, Gender, and Modern Style in 1960s Dar es Salaam

“Sterling…A much-needed work on this important period in both Ghana’s history and the history of sub-Saharan Africa…Though some of the earlier works on Nkrumah and the demise of his rule are overly critical, and argue that Nkrumah’s ideology and the socialism of the CPP were at odds with what the people wanted, Ahlman’s work is critical yet measured.…[He] bridges the gap between the overly harsh studies of the late 1960s and 1970s and the more recent sentiments of Ghanaians who believe that Nkrumahism managed to bring some benefits to Ghana.” * H-Net * “Ahlman’s trenchant and insightful book will be of considerable interest to scholars of citizenship, decolonization, early post-independence nationalism, and pan-Africanism. Ahlman’s work is suitable for both undergraduate and graduate audiences.” * African Studies Review * “The time is ripe for histories like this one that re-examine the classic moment of early postcolonial nationalism. In clear, accessible style, Ahlman sets up this account as a story that needs to be told without the baggage of a later postcolonial pessimism overdetermining the narrative. Further, he meets this challenge.” -- Andrew Ivaska, author of Cultured States: Youth, Gender, and Modern Style in 1960s Dar es Salaam “This well-crafted study of Ghanaian life under the rule of Kwame Nkrumah and the Convention People’s Party (CPP) makes an important contribution to our understanding of a critical period in Ghana’s and Africa’s history.…Ahlman clearly succeeds in his goal of illuminating the ‘aspirations and tensions involved in living with Nkrumahism’ and reconstructing a critical period in Ghana’s history ‘without the weight of later decades.’” * Journal of Modern African Studies * “Living with Nkrumahism is an ambitious and successful book. It should be read by anyone interested in Nkrumah’s Ghana and African national developments in the 1950s and 1960s.” * Journal of Social History *

Author Information

Jeffrey S. Ahlman is an associate professor of history and director of African studies at Smith College. He is the author of Living with Nkrumahism: Nation, State, and Pan-Africanism in Ghana (Ohio University Press, 2017) and coeditor of the journal Ghana Studies.

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