This paper examines Eritrea’s history through the lens of the theory and practice of nationalism and self-determination by the vanguard of the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front. It provides an account of the succession of colonial rulers and the evolution of an Eritrean nation, followed by the crystallisation of Eritrean nationalism. The paper documents how the Constitutional Commission of Eritrea went about its work, and how its outcome was thwarted by intervention. The paper examines how Eritrean nationalism and self-determination developed through two processes, public discourse among Eritreans around the question of the future of the territory, while the practical political exercise of self-determination was achieved only through the military victory of a vanguardist liberation front.
