The Lumumba Generation: African Bourgeoisie and Colonial Distinction in the Belgian Congo (Issn)

How and why did the Congolese elite turn from loyal intermediaries into opponents of the colonial state? This book seeks to enrich our understanding of the political and cultural processes culminating in the tumultuous decolonization of the Belgian Congo. Focusing on the making of an African bourgeoisie, the book illuminates the so-called évolués' social worlds, cultural self-representations, daily life and political struggles. https: //youtu.be/c8ybPCi80dc Contents Introduction Belgian colonial rule and lagging elite formation Elite periodicals between propaganda and empowerment Debating the évolué status (1944–1948) “Perfected Blacks” and malcontents (1945–1952) Associations and sociability between is and ought (1944–1953) The lives of others: selecting the Congolese elite (1948–1956) A community of unequals (1952–1956) Centrifugal forces of decolonization (1957–1960) Conclusion Acknowledgments List of Abbreviations Picture Credits Sources Bibliography Index "How and why did the Congolese elite turn from loyal intermediaries into opponents of the colonial state? This book seeks to enrich our understanding of the political and cultural processes culminating in the tumultuous decolonization of the Belgian Congo. Focusing on the making of an African bourgeoisie, the book illuminates the so-called évolués' social worlds, cultural self-representations, daily life and political struggles." -- Provided by publisher

How and why did the Congolese elite turn from loyal intermediaries into opponents of the colonial state? This book seeks to enrich our understanding of the political and cultural processes culminating in the tumultuous decolonization of the Belgian Congo. Focusing on the making of an African bourgeoisie, the book illuminates the so-called évolués' social worlds, cultural self-representations, daily life and political struggles.

How and why did the African elite turn from loyal intermediaries into opponents of the colonial state? This book wants to help better understand the dramatic political and cultural processes of decolonization in the Belgian Congo. Focusing on the making of a bourgeois African elite, the book deals with the social identity and cultural self-representations, the daily life and political activism of the so called Évolués