Synopsis

A reflection on the multiple lives of the Portuguese colonial past

How was Portuguese colonialism built? How was the colonial war constituted as its final stage? What is the dominant memory of this historical period and what public disputes have been expressed in recent years?

The memory of the war, colonialism and decolonisation is a living reality in democratic Portugal, although it is still necessary to deepen the debate that an issue of this magnitude convenes. At a time when we are preparing to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 25th of April and the revolution, facing this memory and the effects of colonialism implies making an indispensable reflection on the Portugal of yesterday, today and tomorrow.
 

About the author 

Miguel Cardina is a Researcher at the Centre for Social Studies.He is currently member of the coordination of the thematic line "Europe and the Global South: Heritages and Dialogues". He is an European Research Council (ERC) Grantee (project: «CROME - Crossed Memories, Politics of Silence. The Colonial-Liberation Wars in Postcolonial Times» (2017-2023). He is the author or co-author of several books, book chapters or papers on colonialism, anticolonialism and the colonial wars; political ideologies in the sixties and seventies; and the dynamics between history and memory. Last books: 2022, Remembering the Liberation Struggles in Cape Verde. A mnemohistory. London e New York: Routledge (with Inês Nascimento Rodrigues). 2023, O Atrito da Memória. Colonialismo, guerra e descolonização no Portugal contemporâneo (ed. in Italian by Meltemi; ed. in Portuguese by Tinta-da-china).