Date on Master's Thesis/Doctoral Dissertation

5-2025

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.

Department

History

Degree Program

History, MA

Committee Chair

Fleming, Tyler

Committee Member

Crothers, A. Glenn

Committee Member

Harbolt, Tami

Author's Keywords

muhammad ali; zaire; george foreman; race; sports; pan-africanism

Abstract

The “Rumble in the Jungle” is often remembered as Muhammad Ali’s triumphant return to boxing glory, yet its deeper historical and cultural context remains understudied. This thesis reframes the 1974 heavyweight championship in Zaire as a global spectacle shaped by Pan-Africanism and Paul Gilroy’s theory of the Black Atlantic. More than a fight, it was a performance of Black identity, unity, and cultural return. However, this work argues that these themes—though deeply meaningful to many—were also strategically deployed by figures like Don King and Mobutu Sese Seko for promotional and financial gain. Through an analysis of marketing materials, fighter personas, memoirs, and the accompanying Zaire ’74 music festival, this thesis explores how racial solidarity was commodified for spectacle. The result is an event that both empowered and exploited its symbols, complicating the legacy of the Rumble in the Jungle as a cultural and historical touchstone beyond Ali’s legend.

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