ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the process of formation of Eritrea as a result of colonial political economy and nationalist struggle. It provides a succinct account of how interplay between foreign colonial domination and nationalist resistance spawned the formation of a colonial state, and the final emergence of the sovereign Eritrean state. The chapter advances the argument that Eritrean national identity, which was the foundation of the quest for self-determination, was consolidated in four consecutive periods, notably Italian colonialism, British rule, federation and national liberation. The way the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), UN and international bodies treated Eritrea has been a puzzle to Eritreans. The main argument of the chapter is that the case of Eritrea is a case of decolonisation, since Eritrea was the creation of colonialism, like any current African state that was entitled to self-determination and statehood pursuant to decolonisation.
