Intellectual Exchanges Between Revolutionary Africa and the Third World (1950-1990)

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the independence of Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde and São Tomé and Príncipe from Portuguese colonial rule, following the independence of Guinea-Bissau two years prior. The violent struggles for the liberation of Portuguese-speaking Africa were articulated with the broader project of the African revolution, decolonization on the continent and the wider struggle for the liberation of the Third World. More-than-national politics were variously expressed in the forms of negritude, pan-Africanism, the anti-apartheid movement, Afro-Asian solidarity, the global workers’ movement and tricontinentalism.

This workshop seeks to examine critically the rich intellectual, political and cultural exchanges that took place in the context of African revolutions and decolonization 1950-1990, with particular focus on exchanges between Africans and between Africa and Latin America. We posit that this period was characterized by an energetic, if flawed, search for a theory and practice of liberation adequate to the project of revolution and decolonization in the Third World. Our approach proposes to consider the critical exchanges of ideas, themes and concepts that informed and underpinned the projects of liberation in Africa and beyond: selfreliance, dependency, underdevelopment, imperialism, tricontinentalism, internationalism, solidarity, nationbuilding, revolutionary pedagogy, military strategy, theorizations of the relationship between revolution and culture, and others besides.

The aim is to explore how these interactions can shape our present conceptions of revolution and liberation on the continent and beyond. We welcome proposals for 10-minute presentations from researchers, writers and activists in the following streams:

- Transnational Intellectuals and Travelling Concepts
- Revolution and Culture
- Solidarity and Decolonial Hubs

Please submit abstracts of up to 250 words to t.stennett@exeter.ac.uk by 15 May 2025.