Public Lecture: African Studies: pos-coloniality, dictatorships and the global political stability under the Cold War; Speaker: Claudio Pinheiro

Abstract:

This presentation examines the constitution of African (and Asian) Studies in the 1950s and 1960s as part of an international attitude of political solidarity and critical awareness, within socio-political intellectual anti-colonial movements activelychallenging neocolonialism, forms of oppression and dependency, posing threats to the stability of Third World democraciesduring the Cold War. The focus is on the contributions of scholars and other social actors in Ghana – such as Norbert Elias, Raymundo de Souza Dantas, Conor Cruise O’Brien, Fernando Moraes Farias, Vivaldo Costa Lima, W.B. Du Bois, and EfuaSutherland – helps understanding the formation of a political-intellectual epistemic community, which influenced therelationship between international cooperation, knowledge production, and initiatives for autonomous, African-centered socio-economic development. The research project also delves into theoretical and methodological approaches, exploring how tointegrate research on individual paths with the broader network of related, often less visible, individuals and institutions thatwere vital in shaping collective or larger political objectives.

Claudio Pinheiro is professor of Asian and African Studies at Rio de Janeiro Federal University, Brazil, where he also serves as Counsellor for South-South International Cooperation with concentration in Africa; Chairman of the Sephis Programme (the Netherlands) and visiting professor at Nelson Mandela University (South Africa). . His agenda includes knowledge productionand circulation, and structures of power, including slavery, coercion and forms of dependency, both observing the durable effects of colonialism in the institutionalization of power in the Global South.

This lecture is open to the public.

For virtual participation via Zoom, please use the following link:

https://uni-freiburg.zoom-x.de/j/64018133797?pwd=BIbFF5Z2Y5MVigDU9Em5SGBoBhFAbl.1

Meeting-ID: 640 1813 3797
Code: Gcc11G7CQ