Date of Award

9-6-2018

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

History

First Advisor

Charles Romney

Abstract

The system of liberal imperialism championed by the British Empire during the age of high imperialism is at the center of a long-established debate that questions the inherent hypocrisy and questionable justness of Britain’s undemocratic methods for spreading liberal values in the pursuit of progress. Modern studies in liberalism tend to focus on white-British thinkers and the impact of liberal policies on empire. Few studies ask how colonized non-white communities transformed their attitudes toward empire because of and in aversion to liberalism employed for the benefits of white colonizers and the imperial state. This study explores a case where colonized subjects utilized liberal ideas and devices dictated by agents of imperialism for their own agenda. Ideas of African liberalism and ordered liberty are examined by looking at several popular African-owned newspapers. These sources espouse a liberalism and an idea of progress anchored on political and economic rights for Africans.

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