Black nationalist ideas have been debated and discussed over the centuries, and have shaped black religious, cultural, economic and intellectual thought. But how is black nationalism popularly understood? And how should we reckon with the unique position of black people in the United States, where black nationalism has been fundamentally shaped by the white nationalism expressed in the generations before the Civil War?

In this illuminating new book, Jeffrey O. G. Ogbar sheds much-needed light on black community, unity, and cultural, social, and political identity. The story of black nationalism is not limited to “back-to-Africa” Garveyites, or to the religious nationalism of the Nation of Islam. By retelling the story of perhaps the most well-known figure of the movement, Malcolm X, he reveals how internationalism, self-determination, self-defense, and empowerment through the electoral process are the cornerstones of black nationalist thought. More than “racial solidarity” or racial pride, black nationalism in its truest form seeks territorial and political sovereignty—and the (often transnational) efforts to achieve nationhood have brought disparate communities together under the single banner of nationalism.

Offering both a panoramic and meticulous history, this lively book is essential reading for any student or scholar of African-American history and U.S. history, as well as anyone who has been curious about the extraordinary reach and impact of black nationalism in contemporary American society.