This issue of Cadernos do Arquivo Municipal aims to reflect on European colonialism in Africa in the 19th and 20th centuries, trying to explain, through current historical knowledge, the colonial fact —one, similar, transversal in its ideas and practices— structured in different territorial and national strands, and highlighting the deconstruction of myths, ideas and theories that have succeeded each other and metamorphosed to legitimise and justify colonial violence. It is also about giving a voice to Africans, so silenced by the colonial system, by listening to their interpretations of a reality from the near past that left significant marks on their daily lives.

Relations between Europe and the African continent, marked since the 15th century by the commercial dimension, centred on the slave commodity - the enslaved African being bought and exported preferably to the Americas -, changed progressively in the 19th century, acquiring a new relational organisation from the end of the 19th century. The effective occupation of African territories by Europeans and the establishment of a complex system of exploitation of African men, land and wealth marked the colonial relations that were organised, leading to the loss of African autonomy and European domination. The European colonial system lasted for decades, fuelled by myths and ideological justifications, and marked by violent practices of exploitation and control of populations. It came to an end in the 1960s in a large part of the continent, thanks to the resistance of Africans and the ideas of freedom that were blowing through the Western world, but remained in the Portuguese case until 1974, after 13 years of war and destruction, which violently marked African territories and peoples until their national independence.

This Dossier aims to reflect on European colonialism in Africa in the 19th and 20th centuries, trying to explain, through current historical knowledge, the colonial fact - one, similar, transversal in its ideas and practices - structured in different territorial and national strands, and highlighting the deconstruction of myths, ideas and theories that have succeeded each other and metamorphosed to legitimise and justify colonial violence. It is also about giving a voice to Africans, so silenced by the colonial system, by listening to their interpretations of a reality from the near past that left significant marks on their daily lives. The end of colonialism, marked by conflicts of different kinds, the ambiguities of decolonisation and the independence of African countries, but also Africans' current interpretation of this recent historical reality, constitute the other dimension of the historiographical journey of this collective work.

1. The European Occupation of an Autonomous Africa: Exploration, Conquest, Domination (c. 1880-1930)

2. The Construction of a Mythology Legitimising Colonial Violence: Ideas and Facts (c. 1880-1930)

3. The Work of Civilisation: Religion, Instruction, Discrimination, and the Destruction of African Cultures (c. 1930-1960)

4. Colonial Exploitation: The Reorganisation of Territories, the Creation of the ‘Indigenous’ and the Violence of Labour, Taxation and Compulsory Cultures (c. 1930-1960)

5. The Voice of the Africans: Strategies, Resistances, Struggles (c. 1930-1974)

6. Late Portuguese Colonialism and the Legitimisation of Development. New Theories and Myths: Luso-Tropicalism. The ‘Make-up’ of the Colonial System and the Renewed Defence of the Empire (c. 1960-1974)

7. The Propaganda of Colonised Africa through the Image: Advertising, Cinema, Drawing, Press, Exhibitions and Literature.

8. Decolonisation and Independence: concepts, perspectives, interpretations of the processes of organising the new African states in the 1960s.  The late end of the Portuguese colonies: 1974-1975

Submission guidelines

Submission of articles and book reviews to Cadernos do Arquivo Municipal are made through the journal's e-mail: am.cadernos@cm-lisboa.pt

The call for articles for the thematic dossier “Colonising and decolonising: Europe-Africa relations in the 19th and 20th centuries” is open until

December 31, 2024.

• Original and unpublished works are accepted, based on research supported by a strong theoretical-methodological component, within the scope of the journal and relevant to a national and international audience.
• The journal accepts submissions in Portuguese, English, French and Spanish.
• All proposals for articles should be sent to am.cadernos@cm-lisboa.pt
• Cadernos do Arquivo Municipal does not charge any fees for the submission process, peer review, publication and availability of texts.

Conditions for submission

As part of the process, authors are required to check that the submission complies with all the items listed below. Submissions that do not comply with these standards will be returned to the authors.

• The paper is original, unpublished and the parts that come from other works are duly referenced. It is not under review or for publication in another journal. Otherwise, the author(s) should inform the journal editors.
• Authorship is subject to a grace period of four issues.
• Only one proposal per author and/or co-author will be accepted for a single issue and must be submitted using the submission template.
• The section for which the text is intended must be indicated: Thematic Dossier, Articles or Book Reviews.
• Authors' names, ORCIDs, affiliations (R&D centres, faculties and universities) and email addresses.
• Language of the text: Portuguese (according to the new spelling agreement), Spanish, French or English. Title, abstract and keywords in the language of the text, in English and in Portuguese.
• Limit of 10,000 words for articles and 2,000 for book reviews, including footnotes and bibliographical references.

Follow the Publication Guidelines.

Scientific coordination

Isabel Castro Henriques (Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal)