Abstract The emerging field of the history of emotions has opened the door to how historians can assess the role of emotions in the processes of political and social change and how emotions themselves have changed over time and space. Those close to Nkrumah commented on his temperament, his mercurial moods, and the power of his charisma. But studies of Nkrumah have primarily focused on his public figure. Nkrumah held strong personal beliefs about organized religion, money, and women; beliefs formed in his years abroad and that informed his decisions as a politician in Ghana and as head of state. I examine the context in which these beliefs emerged and how they came to shape his political decisions in Ghana, especially his interactions with what he described as Africa's “triple heritage”: Christianity, Islam, and African indigenous religions.
Emmanuel K. Akyeampong (Wed,) studied this question.