Independence without Autonomy : The Limits of Pan-Africanism and Its Failed Institutionalization in 1960

This thesis examines why Pan-Africanism failed to become institutionalised in Congo atthe moment of independence in 1960, despite the central role the country played in earlyPan-African political thought under Patrice Lumumba. Using a causal-narrativeapproach, the study analyses speeches, official correspondence, and internationaldocuments produced during the months surrounding independence. The analysis showsthat Pan-Africanism did not fail due to ideological weakness or leadership shortcomings,but because the Congolese state lacked the institutional autonomy required to translatepolitical vision into practice. At independence, the state had limited control over itsadministration, security apparatus, and economic resources. At the same time,international actors framed the Congolese crisis as a problem of order and stability ratherthan political transformation. As a result, independence was rapidly institutionalised inadministrative terms, while its broader political and transnational ambitions weremarginalised. The study argues that Pan-Africanism at independence was structurallyconstrained by the conditions of postcolonial state formation, where sovereignty existedin form but not in effective capacity.