Settler Colonialism in Liberia

This book is a retelling of the history of Liberia’s formation through the lens of settler colonial theory to understand the antagonisms that continue to shape contemporary citizenship debates. It discusses Liberia as representing an interesting puzzle on the distinction between settler colonialism and postcolonialism. While Liberia is often heralded as one of two African countries that were never colonised, this book presents the country as a unique settler state established by free and formerly enslaved Black Americans, who, the author argues, were settler-colonists despite their positioning as Black people in the slaveholding regime. The book, therefore, complicates conventional perspectives by unravelling Liberia’s settler colonial "present", highlighting the persistent impact of historical structures on the contemporary socio-political landscape. It shows that when the Black Americans dispossessed and marginalised the Africans they met upon arrival in Liberia, they established the antagonisms and enduring unequal structures that continue to shape citizenship and identity debates in the post-war era. By exploring Liberia's contemporary and contentious discourse on dual citizenship, the book delves into the nuanced terrain of claims and counterclaims surrounding proposed changes to the country's citizenship laws.

Dr. Franka Vaughan is a VicHealth Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Nossal Institute for Global Health, University of Melbourne (2025–2028), where she is developing a co-designed, whole-of-system approach to anti-racism. Her research program spans race relations in settler states, global histories of race and colonialism, governance and statebuilding in post-conflict settings, migration and diasporas, and antiracism praxis in research and curriculum. She holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Melbourne, an MSc in International Development from the University of Birmingham (UK), and a BA (Hons) in Political Science from the University of Ghana. She is a critical development enthusiast whose experience spans teaching, research, and policy advocacy, including work with civil society and non-governmental organisations in the areas of open data and open government. Franka is a leader and a dedicated advocate for creating safe spaces and fostering an inclusive scholarly community for international students and emerging scholars interested in Africa and its global connections through her work with the African Studies Group at the University of Melbourne and beyond.

Chapter 1. Introduction: But why Liberia, though?.- Part I. Understanding Liberia’s formation as a settler colonial project.- Chapter 2. Theorising Settler Colonialism in a Non-White Settler Nation.- Chapter 3. Belonging to 19th century Liberia: Interrogating the experiment of Americo-Liberia in the Grain Coast of Africa.- Chapter 4. .- Chapter 4. Dawn of a new era? The brutal end [or continuation] to settler colonialism in Liberia.- .- Part II: Contestations over citizenship, identity and belonging in the post-war era.- Chapter 5. Chapter 5. “Please come home! … join us in the building of a New Liberia”: Diaspora Return, and the Politics of Belonging.- Chapter 6. Inequality, Fairness, and Liberia’s Dual Citizenship Debate.- Chapter 7. Between race and descent: The racial dynamics in Liberia's citizenship.- Chapter 8. The conditions of belonging in post-war Liberia.