Abstract: Ghana’s hydroelectric Akosombo Dam created a vast lake extending 250 miles to the north. Although the planners promoted Akosombo as a multi-purpose scheme, lake transport was an afterthought. When the dam was completed in 1965, no decisions had been made of how Ghana would use the lake’s resources, deal with its challenges, and cope ... Read more

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 ... Read more