- Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT)
R. da Junqueira, 100
1349-008 Lisbon
Portugal - +351-21-3652600
Philip J Havik
Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Department Member
- Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciencias Sociais e Humanas, Department MemberUniversidade do Porto, Faculdade de Letras, Centro de Estudos Africanos (CEAUP), Department Memberadd
- Philip J. Havik (PhD, Leiden University, The Netherlands) is senior researcher at the Instituto de Higiene e Medicina... morePhilip J. Havik (PhD, Leiden University, The Netherlands) is senior researcher at the Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT/UNL) of the Universidade Nova in Lisbon, where he also teaches. His multidisciplinary research centers upon the study of Philip J. Havik (PhD, Leiden University, The Netherlands) is senior researcher at the Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT/UNL) of the Universidade Nova in Lisbon, while also teaching at the said institute. His multidisciplinary research centers upon the study of global health and tropical medicine, health systems & governance, anthropology of health and history of tropical medicine and ecosystems in sub-Saharan Africa, with special emphasis on Lusophone African countries.edit
The account by Sieur Michel Jajolet de La Courbe of his travels to the West African coast covering the years 1685 and 1686, contains detailed descriptions of St Louis and Gorée, which had been conquered by the French over the Dutch... more
The account by Sieur Michel Jajolet de La Courbe of his travels to the West African coast covering the years 1685 and 1686, contains detailed descriptions of St Louis and Gorée, which had been conquered by the French over the Dutch occupants in 1677, and of the Petite Côte, the Gambia and the Guinea Bissau region, where British and Portuguese interests were established. The travels of this French nobleman invited to carry out a commission in the region on behalf of the Compagnie Royale du Senegal, provides insights into African societies, their organization, customs and livelihoods as well into Euro-African relations in Atlantic trade settlements along the coast and rivers. In addition, La Courbe's much quoted account also sheds light on the relations between Christian and Muslim communities, illustrated by descriptions of visits to and negotiations with local African rulers, against the background of political and religious tensions and rivalries in a region deeply affected by slave trafficking and the competition for the spoils of Afro-Atlantic commerce.
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The chapters of this book analyse different aspects of the management of death, dying and mortality by migrants in Southern Europe, by deconstructing persistent idiosyncratic beliefs, myths, narratives, silences, and constraints. It... more
The chapters of this book analyse different aspects of the management of death, dying and mortality by migrants in Southern Europe, by deconstructing persistent idiosyncratic beliefs, myths, narratives, silences, and constraints. It focuses on migrants from diverse geographical (Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Brazil, Bangladesh and China) and cultural backgrounds in Portugal, Spain and Italy. It also includes reflections on Madagascar, East-Timor and Cuba. The thirteen chapters divided into four parts provide insights into epistemological issues, the trans-national circulation of bodies, spirits and rituals, migration, the placing of the dead and diverse funerary practices and perspectives. Privileging a multidisciplinary and multi-sited approach to death and migrations, this book draws on oral, archival and published sources to give visibility to populations that often live in liminar structural positions and transient worlds. By exploring the multifaceted dimensions of death and suffering among immigrant populations, the present volume refocuses the debate on migration in Europe and beyond by highlighting under-researched issues such as the end of life care, mental health, death, burial, cremation, funerary ceremonies and symbols, and martyrdom. Finally, it reveals the complex processes that connect notions of the “good” and “bad” death and burial, and notions regarding home and belonging in contexts of trans-national mobility.
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The present chapter discusses the impact of global economic change on the way of life of female and male actors, and groups, involved in trans-Atlantic and intra-African commerce from an anthropological and socio-historical perspective.... more
The present chapter discusses the impact of global economic change on the way of life of female and male actors, and groups, involved in trans-Atlantic and intra-African commerce from an anthropological and socio-historical perspective. It focuses on these interactions against the background of economic, social and cultural transformations taking place in areas of Portuguese presence in Africa. The notion of cosmopolitanism is applied here to particular dynamics of the colonial encounter in which free African women - whether or not with male collaboration - were to operate in a decidedly trans-cultural and trans-regional fashion. Operating beyond the confines of ‘national’ or ‘imperial’ considerations, they developed cosmopolitan lifestyles in the tropics, skillfully exploring the opportunities offered by agency, alliance and relatedness and thereby illustrating the fluidity of spatial and social boundaries.
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Procura-se neste capítulo analisar as mudanças nos papeis protagonizados por mulheres africanas nas redes de comércio na região da África Ocidental contra o pano de fundo do tráfico transatlântico entre o século XVII e XIX. A produção... more
Procura-se neste capítulo analisar as mudanças nos papeis protagonizados por mulheres africanas nas redes de comércio na região da África Ocidental contra o pano de fundo do tráfico transatlântico entre o século XVII e XIX. A produção historiográfica sobre a Costa da Guiné pela ótica de gênero e parentesco é aqui examinado, ancorado num perspectiva antropologica, estabelendo comparações temporais quanto a interação e do intercâmbio entre sociedades Africanas e redes atlânticas. Com base numa leitura de fontes arquivísticos e bibliográficas, o capítulo se centra em estudos de caso de figuras femininas chaves em épocas distintas para documentar as dinâmicas económicos, sociais e culturais que desenvolveram na região.
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In 2004, a conference was held at King’s College London to commemorate the centenary of the birth of Charles Boxer. The theme of the conference was the development of the culturally mixed ‘Portuguese’ societies in Asia, Africa and... more
In 2004, a conference was held at King’s College London to commemorate the centenary of the birth of Charles Boxer. The theme of the conference was the development of the culturally mixed ‘Portuguese’ societies in Asia, Africa and America, which reflected Boxer’s own interest in the social history of Portugal’s overseas empire. Although the conference papers were published by Bristol University, this volume is long out of print and the outstanding quality of many of the contributions has made it necessary for this collection to be republished. Portuguese overseas expansion over a period of five centuries led to the formation of many mixed or creole communities which drew culturally not only on Portugal, but also on indigenous societies. This cross-cultural interaction gave rise to a creole ‘Portuguese’ identity that in many cases outlasted the formal empire itself. Reflecting upon the main tenets of Boxer’s work, the collection provides a broad geographical perspective upon areas of Portuguese presence in Guinea, Cape Verde, Angola, São Tomé, Brazil and Goa. The chapters cover a wide range of social strata, including plantation slave and maroon communities, private settler-traders and pirates, indigenous trade-diasporas, Luso-African, Luso-Brazilian and Afro-Brazilian groups, as well as the formation of Creole elites against the background of shifting racial, gender, ethnic, linguistic and religious boundaries. As such, this collection represents an exercise in ‘subaltern’ history which shows that the informal social relations were often more important in the long term than the formal structures of empire.
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This book addresses a notable gap in the knowledge of Portuguese colonial administration and the policies implemented in the main territories of its “third” African empire: Angola, Mozambique and Guinea. In recent years, the question of... more
This book addresses a notable gap in the knowledge of Portuguese colonial administration and the policies implemented in the main territories of its “third” African empire: Angola, Mozambique and Guinea. In recent years, the question of colonial taxation has become a topic in the academic debate on colonial empires and has led to a comparative, long-term focus on its impact in African societies. Given that former Portuguese colonies in Africa have been largely absent from this debate, this book offers new perspectives on taxation and colonial rule, and the first detailed and comprehensive study of fiscal administration. Besides dealing with the economic and financial aspects of empire, the book interprets the social experience of African populations through their interaction with colonial institutions. Based on a thorough and probing qualitative and quantitative analysis of published and unpublished data, it places taxation in a broad social context for the period between the full military control of the territories and the end of WW II. Thus, whilst engaging with ongoing debates on comparative African economic and political history, the book provides a key contribution to research on African social change.
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Este livro, o primeiro da série “Orlando Ribeiro – Cadernos de Campo”, é uma edição crítica do caderno de campo de uma missão à Guiné realizada em 1947 por Orlando Ribeiro, cujo centenário se comemorou em 2011. Esta publicação que... more
Este livro, o primeiro da série “Orlando Ribeiro – Cadernos de Campo”, é uma edição crítica do caderno de campo de uma missão à Guiné realizada em 1947 por Orlando Ribeiro, cujo centenário se comemorou em 2011. Esta publicação que iniciará uma série com os cadernos de campo inéditos do famoso geórgrafo português, contém o caderno de campo do autor, facsimilada e anotada, produzido durante duas missões na Guiné Portuguesa no ano de 1947. O volume também reproduz dois textos do autor publicados em 1950 baseada nos dados recolhidos durante a sua missão, e uma série de fotografias tiradas no terreno pelo autor. Vários textos redigidos pela Suzanne Daveau e Philip Havik acompanham os escritos de Orlando Ribeiro, e permitem conhecer melhor a organização da missão e o trabalho campo feito por este num território então ainda pouco conhecido.
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Resumo: A ideia para a constituição desta obra partiu do grupo de investigadores das áreas de história e da antropologia que constituía o núcleo do Programa Sociedades e Culturas Tropicais do Instituto de Investigação Científica Tropical,... more
Resumo: A ideia para a constituição desta obra partiu do grupo de investigadores das áreas de história e da antropologia que constituía o núcleo do Programa Sociedades e Culturas Tropicais do Instituto de Investigação Científica Tropical, no ano de 2006, para homenagear a professora Jill Dias enquanto directora do Centro de Estudos Africanos e Asiáticos (CEAA) daquela instituição desde 1986, e do programa que lhe sucedeu, acima referido. As contribuições deste volume revelam o fruto de investigações, empreendidas devido ao apoio, confiança, investimento e incentivo de alguém que se encontrava entre nós e com quem podíamos contar a cada momento. Infelizmente Jill Dias faleceu em Abril de 2008, sem assistir à edição do volume que agora se apresenta, e cuja diferenciação e riqueza temática se revelam um verdadeiro espelho dos empenhos em que a homenageada se desdobrava, numa energia fulgurante. Os editores decidiram pois conservar o cariz inicial do projecto e que é a sua razão de ser: um volume que remete para o tempo em que foi concebido, com Jill Dias presente e actuante, com todo o seu dinamismo.
Abstract: The idea for publishing this volume originated in 2006 among a group of researchers in history and anthropology which formed the nucleus of the Programme Tropical Societies and Cultures of the Institute for Scientific Research in the Tropics (IICT), in honour of prof. Jill Dias as director of the Centre for African and Asian Studies of the IIC since 1986 e coordinator of the above mentioned programme. The contributions included in this volume are the result of research undertakne ith the support, trust, investment and incentive from a colleague who could be called upon at any moment. Unfortunately, Jill Dias died in April 2008, without being able to presence the publication of the present volume, whose great thematic diversity reflect the multidisciplinary involvement, boundless energy and great dedication shown by the person we honour here. The editors decided to maintain the original character of the project which is its reason to be: a reader which consigns the reader to the moment when it was conceived, with a present and active Jill Dias with all her buoyancy and inspiration.
Abstract: The idea for publishing this volume originated in 2006 among a group of researchers in history and anthropology which formed the nucleus of the Programme Tropical Societies and Cultures of the Institute for Scientific Research in the Tropics (IICT), in honour of prof. Jill Dias as director of the Centre for African and Asian Studies of the IIC since 1986 e coordinator of the above mentioned programme. The contributions included in this volume are the result of research undertakne ith the support, trust, investment and incentive from a colleague who could be called upon at any moment. Unfortunately, Jill Dias died in April 2008, without being able to presence the publication of the present volume, whose great thematic diversity reflect the multidisciplinary involvement, boundless energy and great dedication shown by the person we honour here. The editors decided to maintain the original character of the project which is its reason to be: a reader which consigns the reader to the moment when it was conceived, with a present and active Jill Dias with all her buoyancy and inspiration.
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The current study aims to provide novel insights into the changes in gendered patterns of trade in the Guinea-Bissau region from the mid fifteenth to the early twentieth centuries. Based upon archival and oral research it focuses on the... more
The current study aims to provide novel insights into the changes in gendered patterns of trade in the Guinea-Bissau region from the mid fifteenth to the early twentieth centuries. Based upon archival and oral research it focuses on the remarkable roles played by women and the considerable scope for initiative they acquired as intermediaries in the context of Afro-Atlantic exchange in the region. In order to provide a comparative chronological framework, it centres on crucial periods of economic and social change in the seventeenth and the nineteenth century. The study looks at the economic and political changes in the 1600s when as result of increasing competition between European nations for a share in the slave trade coastal intermediaries carved out a niche for themselves in trade networks. But it also covers the period of transition from slave to crop trade in the nineteenth century and the implications of scramble for Africa for coastal trading communities. In both epochs women in trade settlements succeeded in significantly extending their autonomy by exploiting their role as cultural brokers. This phenomenon clearly merits a closer look at representations of women brokers and -traders and the shifts that occurred over time. However, so far little attention has been paid to their roles in the region. The present study wishes to provide an answer to the question why and how women were able to play such an autonomous role in Afro-Atlantic trade networks. In order to do so it identifies the mechanisms that supported and drove mediation in the region and women’s participation in it, while situating developments in the Guinea-Bissau region within the wider West African context.
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Propomos uma viagem pelas memórias daqueles que viveram a realidade de 25 anos de Política Nacional de Saúde num Estado que apesar de frágil tem claramente definidas uma visão da saúde: “um sistema de saúde cada vez mais eficiente, eficaz... more
Propomos uma viagem pelas memórias daqueles que viveram a realidade de 25 anos de Política Nacional de Saúde num Estado que apesar de frágil tem claramente definidas uma visão da saúde: “um sistema de saúde cada vez mais eficiente, eficaz e financeiramente sustentável, com um crescente envolvimento de diferentes sectores e
responsabilização pelo Governo, profissionais e cidadãos”. Para tal, fazemos uma análise longitudinal de sucessivos exercícios de planeamento (PNDS I, II e III) e avaliação da sua implementação (do PNDS I e II), além de 13 entrevistas semi-estruturadas com atores-chave nestes processos na Guiné Bissau. Este estudo tem um duplo intuito: partilhar as experiências destes atores-chave e do conteúdo dos planos e avaliações feitas enquadrando-os na especificidade do país, e guardar memória destes processos como trilhos de um passado que ajuda a escolher caminhos futuros.
responsabilização pelo Governo, profissionais e cidadãos”. Para tal, fazemos uma análise longitudinal de sucessivos exercícios de planeamento (PNDS I, II e III) e avaliação da sua implementação (do PNDS I e II), além de 13 entrevistas semi-estruturadas com atores-chave nestes processos na Guiné Bissau. Este estudo tem um duplo intuito: partilhar as experiências destes atores-chave e do conteúdo dos planos e avaliações feitas enquadrando-os na especificidade do país, e guardar memória destes processos como trilhos de um passado que ajuda a escolher caminhos futuros.
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A curta permanência de Henrique Dias de Carvalho na Guiné nos finais do século XIX, resultou num conjunto de apontamentos que foram doados pela família, junto com o seu espólio, à Agência Geral das Colónias e publicados em 1944. Estes... more
A curta permanência de Henrique Dias de Carvalho na Guiné nos finais do século XIX, resultou num conjunto de apontamentos que foram doados pela família, junto com o seu espólio, à Agência Geral das Colónias e publicados em 1944. Estes deveriam ter servido de base para um estudo de maior amplitude que o explorador nunca chegou a elaborar, por se ter desvinculado do projecto inicial da companhia de capitais privados. Apesar de não ter a abrangência dos seus escritos sobre Angola, estes apontamentos revelam uma notável capacidade
de observação de um militar bastante experimentado no reconhecimento do interior africano, ao tempo ainda pouco atravessado por viajantes Ocidentais. Para além das suas deslocações pelo território e de ter feito uma alguma pesquisa da literatura publicada, Dias de Carvalho também recolheu vários testemunhos orais na Guiné, referidos mas nem sempre identificados no seu opúsculo, que enriqueceram a narrativa sobre uma colónia largamente desconhecida na metrópole.
Tomando em conta a época em que permaneceu na Guiné, quando estavam em curso campanhas militares que visavam a sua ocupação de facto, o seu olhar crítico é valioso para conhecer melhor a geografia, a agricultura e as sociedades africanas em mudança deste então pouco conhecido ‘canto do império’.
de observação de um militar bastante experimentado no reconhecimento do interior africano, ao tempo ainda pouco atravessado por viajantes Ocidentais. Para além das suas deslocações pelo território e de ter feito uma alguma pesquisa da literatura publicada, Dias de Carvalho também recolheu vários testemunhos orais na Guiné, referidos mas nem sempre identificados no seu opúsculo, que enriqueceram a narrativa sobre uma colónia largamente desconhecida na metrópole.
Tomando em conta a época em que permaneceu na Guiné, quando estavam em curso campanhas militares que visavam a sua ocupação de facto, o seu olhar crítico é valioso para conhecer melhor a geografia, a agricultura e as sociedades africanas em mudança deste então pouco conhecido ‘canto do império’.
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In Brazil an outbreak caused by the ZIKA virus was reported in 2015 and an estimated 1.5 million cases were reported in 2015 and 2016. This paper aims to describe knowledge, attitudes and practices about ZIKA in pregnant and postpartum... more
In Brazil an outbreak caused by the ZIKA virus was reported in 2015 and
an estimated 1.5 million cases were reported in 2015 and 2016. This
paper aims to describe knowledge, attitudes and practices about ZIKA in
pregnant and postpartum women of a high risk maternity hospital in the
state of Rio de Janeiro. It aims to trace the profile of women, analyze
the demographic, clinical and epidemiological characteristics, investigate knowledge, attitudes and practices about ZIKA of these women and build a knowledge assessment score on the disease. This is a sectional study carried out using a structured questionnaire based on the WHO model. The score (EFWC) was elaborated to assess the degree of knowledge about ZIKA. Most of pregnant and postpartum women considered the information they had about ZIKA insufficient (71%) regarding signs and symptoms (68.3%), cause (67.5%), prevention (61.8%), consequences (57%). The score revealed that 1.6% of the women had no knowledge about ZIKA; 58.5% of women had poor or inferior knowledge about ZIKA. No correlation was found between income, schooling or age of the study population and knowledge about ZIKA measured by the score.
an estimated 1.5 million cases were reported in 2015 and 2016. This
paper aims to describe knowledge, attitudes and practices about ZIKA in
pregnant and postpartum women of a high risk maternity hospital in the
state of Rio de Janeiro. It aims to trace the profile of women, analyze
the demographic, clinical and epidemiological characteristics, investigate knowledge, attitudes and practices about ZIKA of these women and build a knowledge assessment score on the disease. This is a sectional study carried out using a structured questionnaire based on the WHO model. The score (EFWC) was elaborated to assess the degree of knowledge about ZIKA. Most of pregnant and postpartum women considered the information they had about ZIKA insufficient (71%) regarding signs and symptoms (68.3%), cause (67.5%), prevention (61.8%), consequences (57%). The score revealed that 1.6% of the women had no knowledge about ZIKA; 58.5% of women had poor or inferior knowledge about ZIKA. No correlation was found between income, schooling or age of the study population and knowledge about ZIKA measured by the score.
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The international conference held in Lisbon, Portugal in 2016 on Colonial Incarceration in the Twentieth Century: a comparative approach’, provided a platform to engage with ongoing debate on political persecution, confinement and... more
The international conference held in Lisbon, Portugal in 2016
on Colonial Incarceration in the Twentieth Century: a
comparative approach’, provided a platform to engage with
ongoing debate on political persecution, confinement and
colonial rule in empire. The present papers which resulted
from the above-mentioned conference provide valuable
insights into recent research on politically motivated
punishment and internment in several colonial contexts.
Mainly concerned with Africa, they focus on the organisation,
discourse and practice regarding political internment in
Portuguese, German, British and French empires with
reference to Angola, Tanzania, Rhodesia, South Africa, as well
as Guyana and New Caledonia. The papers engage with the
historiography of political incarceration in prisons and
detention camps during the colonial period, from the late
nineteenth century to the end of empire, while building
upon the remarkable dynamic in scientific research over the
last decades. Penal legislation, policies of convict transport
and political imprisonment, resettlement, prison regimes,
resistance and liberation struggles, counter insurgency,
prisoner agency, prisons as cultural spaces and memory are
discussed here in different time periods and locations from a
variety of multidisciplinary angles.
on Colonial Incarceration in the Twentieth Century: a
comparative approach’, provided a platform to engage with
ongoing debate on political persecution, confinement and
colonial rule in empire. The present papers which resulted
from the above-mentioned conference provide valuable
insights into recent research on politically motivated
punishment and internment in several colonial contexts.
Mainly concerned with Africa, they focus on the organisation,
discourse and practice regarding political internment in
Portuguese, German, British and French empires with
reference to Angola, Tanzania, Rhodesia, South Africa, as well
as Guyana and New Caledonia. The papers engage with the
historiography of political incarceration in prisons and
detention camps during the colonial period, from the late
nineteenth century to the end of empire, while building
upon the remarkable dynamic in scientific research over the
last decades. Penal legislation, policies of convict transport
and political imprisonment, resettlement, prison regimes,
resistance and liberation struggles, counter insurgency,
prisoner agency, prisons as cultural spaces and memory are
discussed here in different time periods and locations from a
variety of multidisciplinary angles.
Research Interests:
Resumo Os debates atuais na área da bioética e colaborações transnacionais sus-citaram preocupações acerca da aplicação de normas internacionais na condução de investigação clínica em África. Geralmente essas estrutu-ras de avaliação... more
Resumo Os debates atuais na área da bioética e colaborações transnacionais sus-citaram preocupações acerca da aplicação de normas internacionais na condução de investigação clínica em África. Geralmente essas estrutu-ras de avaliação bioética estão ainda incipientes ou frágeis na maioria dos países africanos. A importância da aplicação de métodos qualitati-vos na área da investigação médica, tem como objetivo de melhorar e aprofundar o conhecimento da cultura de comunidades locais, e as suas perceções e práticas. Estes métodos facilitam melhoramentos nos pro-tocolos de investigação, e a sua implementação e avaliação, e a adesão a princípios da justiça e equidade social relativo as comunidades sob estu-do. Durante as últimas décadas, o papel das ciências sociais na área da saúde ganhou mais visibilidade em países de baixo rendimento, também em África. Investigadores na área de saúde e agências financiadoras que operam nestes países, estão cada vez mais confrontados com a necessi-dade de avaliar as implicações éticas para os participantes e as comuni-dades a que pertencem. Este artigo propõe uma revisão bibliográfica dos percursos e constrangimentos no campo da bioética, centrando-se nos desenvolvimentos em África. Sugere um papel maior para métodos qualitativos, e sobretudo etnográficos, para aumentar a capacidade local e nacional, aumentar padrões de referência e promover investigação so-cialmente e eticamente responsável. Abstract Ongoing debates regarding bioethics and transnational research collaboration shave raised concerns about the conduct of clinical research in Africa and the application of international standards. Generally, bioethical frameworks are regarded as incipient and fragile in many African countries. The importance of applying qualitative methods from the social sciences in medical research is meant to enhance and deepen the knowledge on the culture of local communities, their perceptions and practices. These methods facilitate improvements in research protocols, their implementation and evaluation, and adherence to principles of justice and social equity to trial communities. Over the last decades social science-based research in the medical field has gained greater visibility in low income countries, also in Af-rica. Health researchers and funding agencies working in low resource settings,are increasingly confronted with the need to evaluate the ethical implications of research for vulnerable participants and the communities concerned. This article provides a bibliographical review of trajectories, trends and constraints in the bioethical field, centering upon developments in Africa. It argues for a major role of qualitative methods, and the use of ethnographical tools, in order to increase local and national capacity, raise standards and promote socially and ethically responsible research.
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This chapter focuses on the organization of medical services and the production of medical knowledge in Portugal’s former African colonies during a period of social and economic transformation after 1945. Although the postwar era has been... more
This chapter focuses on the organization of medical services and the production of medical knowledge in Portugal’s former African colonies during a period of social and economic transformation after 1945. Although the postwar era has been studied from an economic and political perspective, the topic of public health has so far been underrepresented in published research. Former Portuguese colonies in Africa are particularly under-researched in this respect. The chapter addresses the reorganization of health systems in Angola, Mozambique and Guinea which was the subject of an ongoing process of negotiation between metropolitan and colonial actors and institutions. The period under consideration illustrates a shift in thinking on health management and knowledge production, as calls for the integration of vertical programs for the combat against endemic diseases into regular health services grew. The discussions on health system reforms in empire that were conducted tropical medical experts from the Lisbon Institute of Tropical Medicine (IMT), high-ranking staff from colonial medical services and the Ministry of Overseas Affairs, was to reveal marked tensions between the different actors involved. These debates took place as Portugal was faced by major challenges resulting from the emergence of nationalist movements in Angola, Guinea and Mozambique, which by the early 1960s had erupted into armed conflict.
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The rich plant diversity that characterizes the West African Region and the inherent knowledge of their flora and vegetation has been the backbone of scientific explorations during the past centuries. The evolution of botanical knowledge... more
The rich plant diversity that characterizes the West African Region and the inherent knowledge of their flora and vegetation has been the backbone of scientific explorations during the past centuries. The evolution of botanical knowledge on Guinea-Bissau, throughout the 16th and 20th centuries is reviewed. We present and discuss floristic data collected by scientific expeditions between the mid-1700s to 1974, when the Portuguese colonial period ended. Expeditions undertaken by French naturalists provided some of the earliest plant collections. A list of herbarium specimens collected by the French naturalist Jardin, in the Bijagós Islands in ca. 1847–1858 is presented here for the first time, while in the late 1800s some Portuguese naturalists also explored Guinea-Bissau. During the colonial period (1915–1974), Gomes e Sousa published the first comprehensive study of the territory's flora while Espírito Santo assembled the largest plant collection. Our review applies a multidisciplinary perspective to fill important lacuna regarding biodiversity knowledge of this under-researched West African country. It constitutes the first study tracing the long term evolution of knowledge on Guinea Bissau's plant diversity, which provides the basis for understanding trends and research priorities, in particular in conservation and botanical fields.
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The present study provides a critical analysis of the introduction of exotic food crop species and their impact on agricultural transformations in Guinea-Bissau, based on survey data and a review of the literature from the 1800s to the... more
The present study provides a critical analysis of the introduction of exotic food crop species and their impact on agricultural transformations in Guinea-Bissau, based on survey data and a review of the literature from the 1800s to the present. It applies a multidisciplinary analysis to map historical and contemporary agrarian knowledge in Guinea-Bissau, presenting the first list of exotic cultivated species introduced in the country. Our results show that many introduced crops have gained widespread acceptance among local producers, with 63 exotic cultivated species native to America and Asia. The most representative families are Fabaceae, Solanaceae, and Anacardiaceae, including the country's main former and current cash crops. First driven by peanuts in colonial times and by cashew after independence from 1980s onwards, Guinea-Bissau rapidly became one of Africa's major exporters. The current cashew monoculture—like peanuts before it—relies almost exclusively on smallholder agriculture, raising concerns with regard to biodiversity, sustainability, and food security. The paper analyses historical trends in agro-economic transformations taking into account policies, programs, performance, and scientific research. Despite the existence of a long-standing single crop economy, further research is needed in this largely understudied country to assess the impact of long-term agrarian change.
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Following the enormous loss of lives during the First World War and the influenza pandemic, demography, social medicine and disease control became overriding concerns in Europe and elsewhere. As they were transposed from Europe to empire,... more
Following the enormous loss of lives during the First World War and the influenza pandemic, demography, social medicine and disease control became overriding concerns in Europe and elsewhere. As they were transposed from Europe to empire, rough estimates of declining birth rates and high infant mortality rates in colonial Africa infused a clinical and a social approach to endemic diseases and reproduction. The perceived propagation and social impact of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) such as syphilis, gave rise to policies and services aimed reducing their prevalence, and to international conventions to limit their spread. Public health measures in colonial contexts which followed metropolitan trends towards social hygiene and welfare on the one hand, and disease control on the other, were implemented by medical and educational services. One of their principal targets were indigenous women in their roles as sex workers on the one hand and mothers on the other, combining repressive with paternalist elements. The present paper addresses this two-pronged approach which navigated between public health, social medicine and disease control by focusing on STDs and maternal health in former Portuguese West Africa. It centres on a crucial period from the 1920s to the late 1950s when colonial medical services and vertical campaigns were established in Africa, drawing comparisons between policies and practices in former Portuguese and French colonies. Based upon published, archival and oral data, it looks at how health professionals and patients shaped policies, services and outcomes in a region that has been largely neglected health related research.
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A investigação sobre a Guiné-Bissau após a independência foi profundamente influenciada pela luta anti-colonial - que durou onze anos - e o tempo histórico em que teve lugar, decorrendo num período quando a maioria dos países africanos se... more
A investigação sobre a Guiné-Bissau após a independência foi profundamente influenciada pela luta anti-colonial - que durou onze anos - e o tempo histórico em que teve lugar, decorrendo num período quando a maioria dos países africanos se tornaram independentes. Houve entretanto dois temas que dominaram o debate em torno da Guiné Bissau, fortemente marcada pela projecção internacional do líder do PAIGC, Amílcar Cabral, nomeadamente as dimensões político-ideológicos e agro-tecnológicos. O presente artigo pretende traçar um esboço das várias abordagens propostas por investigadores acerca deste último tema, relativo a mobilização rural, a modernização da agricultura, a elevação dos níveis de vida das famílias camponeses. As mudanças políticas, sociais e económicas em curso apontam para a necessidade de estudar o modo como as comunidades locais estão a lidar com estas mudanças no quadro da relação triangular entre as autoridades tradicionais, o Estado/Partido, e o sector privado. Para tal, investigadores precisam de fazer trabalho de campo forjando laços de confiança e respeito mútuo com a população rural para conhecer melhor o microcosmo das famílias (moranças) e aldeias (tabankas) do país.
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The Workshop on the History of Tropical Medicine (WHTM) organized under the auspices of the Centre for Global Health and Tropical Medicine (GHTM) took place at the Institute for Hygiene and Tropical Medicine of the Universidade NOVA in... more
The Workshop on the History of Tropical Medicine (WHTM) organized under the auspices of the Centre for Global Health and Tropical Medicine (GHTM) took place at the Institute for Hygiene and Tropical Medicine of the Universidade NOVA in Lisbon on 14th and 15th December 2017, forming part of the celebrations of the institute’s 115th anniversary. It brought together 27 scholars from Europe, North America, Latin America and Africa who presented 22 papers, distributed across six thematic sessions, preceded by a keynote address. The papers presented and discussed during the meeting, covered a wide range of issues, including epidemiology, health systems and services, disease control and eradication programmes, biomedical knowledge and research, military and civil medicine, veterinary medicine, colonial and post-colonial medicine, entomology, medical networks, and international and global health. The present paper provides an overview of workshop proceedings and summaries of the papers presented during the two- -day meeting, the first of its kind held at the IHMT.
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This chapter aims to relate different aspects of migrants’ self-perception with perspectives held by medical professionals relating to mental disorders and the health seeking behaviour among African migrant communities resident in... more
This chapter aims to relate different aspects of migrants’ self-perception with perspectives held by medical professionals relating to mental disorders and the health seeking behaviour among African migrant communities resident in Portugal. Placing the discussion on mental illness and migration in a public health framework, the chapter first provides an overview of the literature on these populations from Portuguese Speaking Countries in Africa (PALOP) in Portugal. Based upon data contained in the project survey and interviews, it then draws comparisons between two groups of African immigrants, i.e. Caboverdeans and Guinea-Bissauans, included in the survey, using amongs others responses to Mental Health Inventories (MHI) and the Death Anxiety Scale (DAS) of the two groups using Portuguese non-migrants as a control group. Medical professionals’ views of these groups, obtained from interviews, their attitudes, complaints, use of services, acculturation and cultural competence are also taken into account, and the capacity of services to identify and attend to chronic and life-threatening conditions. Finally, the evidence presented above with regard to transcultural competence, experience of working with vulnerable groups and personal empathy on the part of GPs, is placed in the wider framework of the debate and research on public health and migration in current day Portugal and Europe.
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The editors of the present special issue have aimed to bring to the fore recent, innovative research on a wide variety of territories and topics that explore the imperial archive and memory to bring to life colonial situations in... more
The editors of the present special issue have aimed to bring to the fore recent, innovative research on a wide variety of territories and topics that explore the imperial archive and memory to bring to life colonial situations in different locations. From the outset, it was our intention to demonstrate the geographical, social, economic, political and cultural diversity of empire through a broad thematical prism. The most recurrent topics with regard to the Third Portuguese Empire such as (forced) labour, race, ideology, economic underdevelopment and conflict, have been complemented with studies that take a closer look at the state and colonial administration, colonial accounts, private enterprise, science, public health, violence and gender.The time frame of these contributions,
from the late nineteenth century to the end of empire, and the spatial
focus including Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Angola, Mozambique and Goa, provide examples of the current state of the art of archival fieldwork and memory related research on the ‘modern’ and ‘late’ Portuguese colonial empire and its populations.
from the late nineteenth century to the end of empire, and the spatial
focus including Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Angola, Mozambique and Goa, provide examples of the current state of the art of archival fieldwork and memory related research on the ‘modern’ and ‘late’ Portuguese colonial empire and its populations.
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Whereas the development of health systems in colonial territories under British, French and Belgian rule has been subject of published research since the 1970s, contributions on Portuguese Africa have so far been limited. The present... more
Whereas the development of health systems in colonial territories under British, French and Belgian rule has been subject of published research since the 1970s, contributions on Portuguese Africa have so far been limited. The present paper discusses the trajectories of public health policies in the Portuguese colonial context with a view to a better understanding of policies and debates on health infrastructures in rural settings between the 1920s and 1960s. Analysing different project proposals and their implementation in Angola, Guinea and Mozambique, it holds that the period in question was crucial for the development of thinking on population health and disease control. Different concepts of disease control in a rural environment would be experimented with from the 1920a, evolving in a largely empirical fasion. A new 'model’ for health management was developed after 1945 in colonies such as in Portuguese Guinea after 1945, only to be challenged challenged by services set up by the nationalist movement PAIGC in liberated areas during the armed conflict (1963-1974).
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O presente artigo se debruça sobre as mudanças políticas que occoreram na Guiné Bissau durante o período colonial e pós-colonial, sobretudo do ponto de vista da formação de movimentos de contestação ao poder político que surgiram no seio... more
O presente artigo se debruça sobre as mudanças políticas que occoreram na Guiné Bissau durante o período colonial e pós-colonial, sobretudo do ponto de vista da formação de movimentos de contestação ao poder político que surgiram no seio da sociedade guineense. Numa primeira fase, a Liga Guineense (1911-1915) marca a criação do primeiro movimento social de inspração republicana em Bissau e Bolama que se insurge contra as pretensões do governo e o comando militar nas violentas campanhas de 'pacificação' em curso na época. Numa segunda fase que se inicia quarenta anos mais tarde, a formação de movimentos nacioanalistas, inspiradas pela vaga de contestação na África subsaariana, desafia o regime colonial e o Estado Novo, resultando na luta de libertação liderada pelo PAIGC e na independência do país em 1974. Num terceiro momento, que segue a introdução de políticas de ajustamento estrutural, o regime monopartidário do PAIGC é contestado internamente, que leva a fragmentação política, a criação de novos partidos e as primeiras eleições multi-partidários de 1994. Estas diferentes fases são analisados contra o pano de fundo das mudanças sociais e económicos que tiveram lugar no país com uma grande diversidade cultural e étnica num relativamente curto espaço de tempo.
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Em Dezembro de 2014, a Rede Internacional de Pesquisa História e Saúde foi constituída em Lisboa, reunindo vinte e cinco pesquisadores de países de língua portuguesa. A coordenação geral está a cargo de Paulo Henrique Martinez... more
Em Dezembro de 2014, a Rede Internacional de Pesquisa História e Saúde foi constituída em Lisboa, reunindo vinte e cinco pesquisadores de países de língua portuguesa. A coordenação geral está a cargo de Paulo Henrique Martinez (UNESP/Brasil), Virgílio Estolio do Rosário (IHMT/Portugal) e Philip J. Havik (IHMT/Portugal). O projeto de pesquisa conjunta África e Brasil: Saúde, Sociedade e Meio Ambiente (séculos XV-XXI) é a primeira iniciativa cientifica desta Rede. Os colaboradores do projeto incluem investigadores do Laboratório de História e Meio Ambiente, de professores no Departamento de História da Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), e de pesquisadores em países africanos vinculados à Rede Internacional de Pesquisa História e Saúde. Este projeto pretende, a partir da busca de interação e da integração de seus respectivos grupos e equipes de pesquisa e da Rede de História e Saúde, gerar novos conhecimentos, desenvolver capacidade técnica e operacional no estudo das doenças endêmicas em áreas tropicais no Brasil e em países da África, sobretudo os de língua oficial portuguesa.
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Internal political divisions, authoritarian governance, military-civilian power struggles, infighting within the armed forces, the lack of public investment, the privatisation of the state, widespread corruption as well as arms and... more
Internal political divisions, authoritarian governance, military-civilian power struggles, infighting within the armed forces, the lack of public investment, the privatisation of the state, widespread corruption as well as arms and drug-trafficking have been put forward as the main causes for continuing social inequality, the failure of institutions and violent conflict in Guinea Bissau. Innovative approaches need to be explored in order to create a social, economic and political environment conducive to the success of (long term) community-based peacebuilding efforts in the country.
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Guinea-Bissau’s rural economy shows striking historical continuities from the peanut-based monoculture in colonial times to the ‘cashew revolution’ after independence. Despite periods of armed conflict and decolonization, and changing... more
Guinea-Bissau’s rural economy shows striking historical continuities from the peanut-based monoculture in colonial times to the ‘cashew revolution’ after independence. Despite periods of armed conflict and decolonization, and changing economic policies, the resilience of producers and communities formed the dynamic pillar of Guinea-Bissau's economy and society. The chapter focuses on ecological, socio-economic and historical trends that bridge colonial and post-independence periods, in order to analyse the organization of crop cultivation, markets, actors and politicies. The tensions between commercial farming and smallholder producers constitute an important thread, as well as the role of the state, trade networks and the feminization of the subsistence economy. The organization and performance of the country's rural economy is also addressed in the wider regional, West Arfican context by comparing it with its neighbours, i.e. Senegal and Guinea–Conakry.
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This dataset presents an annotated list of medicinal plants used by local communities in Guinea-Bissau (West Africa), in a total of 218 species. Data was gathered by means of herbarium and bibliographic research, as well as fieldwork.... more
This dataset presents an annotated list of medicinal plants used by local communities in Guinea-Bissau (West Africa), in a total of 218 species. Data was gathered by means of herbarium and bibliographic research, as well as fieldwork. Biological and ecological information is provided for each species, including in-country distribution, geographical range, growth form and main vegetation types. The dataset was used to prepare a paper on the medicinal plants of Guinea-Bissau “Medicinal plants of Guinea-Bissau: therapeutic applications, ethnic diversity and knowledge transfer” (Catarino et al., 2016). The table and figures provide a unique database for Guinea-Bissau in support of ethno-medical and ethno-pharmacological research, and their ecological dimensions.
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The present article seeks to fill a number of lacunae with regard to the study of the circulation and assimilation of different bodies of medical knowledge in an important cultural contact zone, that is the Upper Guinea Coast. Building... more
The present article seeks to fill a number of lacunae with regard to the study of the circulation and assimilation of different bodies of medical knowledge in an important cultural contact zone, that is the Upper Guinea Coast. Building upon ongoing research on trade and cultural brokerage in the area, it focuses upon shifting attitudes and practices with regard to health and healing as a result of cultural interaction and hybridisation against the background of growing intra-African and Afro-Atlantic interaction from the fifteenth to the late seventeenth century. Largely based upon travel accounts, missionary reports and documents produced by the Portuguese Inquisition, it shows how forms of medical knowledge shifted and circulated between littoral areas and their hinterland, as well as between the coast, the Atlantic and beyond. It shows that the changing patterns of trade, migration and settlement associated with Mandé influence and Afro-Atlantic exchange had a decisive impact on changing notions of illness and therapeutic trajectories. Over the centuries, cross-cultural, reciprocal borrowing contributed to the development of healing kits employed by Africans and non-African outsiders alike, which were used and brokered by local communities in different locations in the region.
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The present paper discusses the issue of gender and land tenure in former Portuguese Guinea, currently Guinea Bissau, during a crucial period of colonial transition from the nineteenth to the early twentieth centuries. It provides novel... more
The present paper discusses the issue of gender and land tenure in former Portuguese Guinea, currently Guinea Bissau, during a crucial period of colonial transition from the nineteenth to the early twentieth centuries. It provides novel insights into the local dynamics of women’s agency with regard to their control over land based upon kinship and marriage and its use as a strategic resource in social, cultural and economic perspective. After summarizing the recent debate on women’s position in (West) African and (post-) colonial societies with regard to their access, rights, and control over land, the changes that occurred in a (proto-) colonial context from the late 1800s to early 1900s are identified. The question of resource control is then illustrated with certain cases of women simultaneously acting as planters and entrepreneurs during and after the peanut boom and by means of quantitative data on land concessions and legal titles. The case of Portuguese Guinea illustrates the need for a reassessment of women’s strategies to gain legal tenure, with or without male collaboration, despite legal reforms which excluded certain social groups from access to land titles during a period of sustained economic and political turmoil.
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The present paper discusses the issue of gender and land tenure in former Portuguese Guinea, currently Guinea Bissau, during a crucial period of colonial transition from the nineteenth to the early twentieth centuries. It provides novel... more
The present paper discusses the issue of gender and land tenure in former Portuguese Guinea, currently Guinea Bissau, during a crucial period of colonial transition from the nineteenth to the early twentieth centuries. It provides novel insights into the local dynamics of women’s agency with regard to their control over land based upon kinship and marriage and its use as a strategic resource in social, cultural and economic perspective. After summarizing the recent debate on women’s position in (West) African and (post-) colonial societies with regard to their access, rights, and control over land, the changes that occurred in a (proto-) colonial context from the late 1800s to early 1900s are identified. The question of resource control is then illustrated with certain cases of women simultaneously acting as planters and entrepreneurs during and after the peanut boom and by means of quantitative data on land concessions and legal titles. The case of Portuguese Guinea illustrates the need for a reassessment of women’s strategies to gain legal tenure, with or without male collaboration, despite legal reforms which excluded certain social groups from access to land titles during a period of sustained economic and political turmoil.
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Ethnopharmacological relevance: The rich flora of Guinea-Bissau, and the widespread use of medicinal plants for the treatment of various diseases, constitutes an important local healthcare resource with significant potential for research... more
Ethnopharmacological relevance: The rich flora of Guinea-Bissau, and the widespread use of medicinal plants for the treatment of various diseases, constitutes an important local healthcare resource with significant potential for research and development of phytomedicines. The goal of this study is to present a comprehensive data set of Guinea-Bissau's medicinal plants, including their distribution, local vernacular names and their therapeutic and other applications, based upon local notions of disease and illness. A total of 218 medicinal plants were documented, belonging to 63 families, of which 195 are native. Over half of these species are found in all regions of the country. The medicinal plants are used to treat 18 major diseases categories; the greatest number of species are used to treat intestinal disorders (67 species). This multidisciplinary , country-wide study identifies a great diversity of plants used by indigenous communities as medicinal, which constitute an important common reservoir of botanical species and therapeutic knowledge. The regional overlap of many indigenous species, the consensual nature of disease groups based upon local perceptions of health conditions, and the relevance of local vernacular including Guinean Creole are key factors specific to the country which enhance the potential for the circulation and transmission of ethno-botanical and therapeutic knowledge.
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O presente artigo foca os aspetos institucionais da história recente do Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), dos anos cinquenta do século XX até ao presente. Para tal, debruça-se sobre a sua organização interna, as atividades... more
O presente artigo foca os aspetos institucionais da história recente do Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), dos anos cinquenta do século XX até ao presente. Para tal, debruça-se sobre a sua organização interna, as atividades de investigação, ensino e intervenção, e as colaborações nacionais e internacionais tanto na fase colonial como no período pós-colonial. Ao focar o percurso científico do Instituto pretende-se preencher uma lacuna na literatura publicada. Começando com o I Congresso Nacional de Medicina Tropical em 1952, a história do IHMT até 1974 é dominada pelo contexto colonial português. Inicia-se uma nova fase com a queda do Estado Novo, a descolonização, e a adesão ao Programa Tropical Diseases Research (TDR) da Organização Mundial de Saúde (OMS). As frequentes reorganizações internas de caráter científico, financeiro e operacional são analisadas no contexto das mudanças políticos, de tutela e de modelos de gestão que tiveram um impacto significativo sobre as atividades do Instituto. O enquadramento destas é também analisado contra o pano de fundo da crescente importância da cooperação internacional com a OMS, com a Comunidade Económica Europeia/União Europeia (CEE/UE), e com os países de língua oficial portuguesa.
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Since the 1970s African market women have been in the spotlight, owing to a focus on the “informal economy”. Scholarly interest in female entrepreneurship has since also extended to historical perspectives on regional trade networks,... more
Since the 1970s African market women have been in the spotlight, owing to a focus on the “informal economy”. Scholarly interest in female entrepreneurship has since also extended to historical perspectives on regional trade networks, above all in West Africa. The distinctions among African women (whether as slaves, peasants, farmers, traders, healers, or royalty) have fostered a plurality of perspectives on their
lives and careers. Drawing on archival and published sources, this essay examines how female entrepreneurship evolved along the West African coast from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century. It demonstrates that despite “proto-colonial” incursions and a notable male bias in reporting, the skillful management of social and cultural resources allowed some women to build networks that left a visible and lasting legacy in West Africa’s history.
lives and careers. Drawing on archival and published sources, this essay examines how female entrepreneurship evolved along the West African coast from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century. It demonstrates that despite “proto-colonial” incursions and a notable male bias in reporting, the skillful management of social and cultural resources allowed some women to build networks that left a visible and lasting legacy in West Africa’s history.
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The present chapter focuses on the question of direct 'native' taxation in former Portuguese Guinea – current Guinea Bissau – from its introduction in the early 1900s to the end of WWII. It deals with different political contexts,... more
The present chapter focuses on the question of direct 'native' taxation in former Portuguese Guinea – current Guinea Bissau – from its introduction in the early 1900s to the end of WWII. It deals with different political contexts, starting with the military campaigns waged by the Portuguese with increasing intensity from the 1890s, and ending with the prelude to fiscal reforms in introduced in the 1950s. By linking tax reforms to economic aspects such as export crop production and to 'native' labour policies, it takes a broad view of the changes taking place during this crucial period for the establishment of 'modern' colonial rule in this territory wedged in between Senegal and French Guinea. In order to contribute to a better understanding of the colonial context, the chapter first embarks upon a discussion of taxation in Portugal and its colonies during the 1800s. The second section discusses the military campaigns and violent armed conflict until 1915, when Guinea was officially ‘pacified’. It witnessed the introduction of the hut tax, which was essentially a ‘war tax’, while taking a closer look at the intricacies of administration in loco. It then moves on to fiscal extraction under a civil administration established in the late 1910s, but already introduced by statute in 1912, and the implications for African societies. The period beginning with the 1929 world crisis and the early 1930s when the New State imposed strict ideological adherence to the balanced budget, are dealt with in the final section. Here, the increasing pressures on native communities’ capacity to supply labour, crops and taxes are discussed, as well as the overall performance of administration, both qualitatively and quantitatively, until the end of WWII, placing it in the wider, regional context and its relations with the neighbouring AOF. In the concluding section, the changing patterns of administration and its fiscal policies on the one hand and the attitudes of 'fiscal subjects' as well as the impact of tax levies in regional terms are addressed on the other.
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The economic and political history of former Portuguese colonies in Africa still needs to be written, above all for the last century of imperial rule. This chapter intends to fill a number of lacunae with regard to the economic and... more
The economic and political history of former Portuguese colonies in Africa still needs to be written, above all for the last century of imperial rule. This chapter intends to fill a number of lacunae with regard to the economic and financial developments that shaped colonial Angola, Mozambique and Guinea from the late 1800s to 1960, with a particular focus on fiscal policies and their impact. The analysis of these developments presented here takes into account not only the ongoing debate on the economic aspects on Portuguese colonial administration, but also takes its cue from studies on British and French colonialism in sub-Saharan Africa for the same period. Over the years, fiscal issues have come to form an essential part of this discussion, given the centrality of taxation for the imperial project. The distinction between indirect and direct taxation is given particular relevance here, given the implications for the question of the exercise of sovereignty over African subjects as tax payers. But before any meaningful comparative study can be carried out regarding fiscal policies and practices in Africa, and on their relative significance in the different “empires,” i.e. Portuguese, British – which has particularly benefited from recent historical research – and also French and Belgian Africa, a number of lacunae regarding former Portuguese territories in continental Africa need to be filled. Whilst providing a broad perspective on the output of administrations regarding the logistics of extraction, policy arrangements, budgets and fiscal revenues, the present essay also takes into account the relations between metropolitan and colonial tax regimes, between colonial administrations and “their” fiscal subjects, and make comparisons regarding tax legislation, policies and strategies, and their diverse impact on African populations. In addition, a quantitative data base on colonial accounts and tax revenues is presetned here which provides novel perspectives on medium term extractive trends from the early 1900s to the late 1950s in Angola, Guinea and Mozambique.
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Until the establishment of the “Commission for the study of and combat against sleeping sickness” (Missão de estudo e combate à doença do sono) in 1945, underfunded and understaffed health services had not been a priority for the... more
Until the establishment of the “Commission for the study of and
combat against sleeping sickness” (Missão de estudo e combate à doença do sono) in 1945, underfunded and
understaffed health services had not been a priority for the colonial administration in Portuguese Guinea. The Commission not only implemented endemic disease control in the territory
under the auspices of metropolitan institutions, but also provided preventive public healthcare to the local population. Its relative success in reducing the negative impact of
Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) turned the colony into an apparent model of tropical modernity. In the process,
the local evolution of the disease was marginalized, despite the tacit but contested recognition by some health professionals of the role of popular healthcare.
combat against sleeping sickness” (Missão de estudo e combate à doença do sono) in 1945, underfunded and
understaffed health services had not been a priority for the colonial administration in Portuguese Guinea. The Commission not only implemented endemic disease control in the territory
under the auspices of metropolitan institutions, but also provided preventive public healthcare to the local population. Its relative success in reducing the negative impact of
Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) turned the colony into an apparent model of tropical modernity. In the process,
the local evolution of the disease was marginalized, despite the tacit but contested recognition by some health professionals of the role of popular healthcare.
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Published research on disease, health services and indigenous medicine in former Portuguese Africa, is still in an embryonic phase. Whilst the study of medicine, both bio-medical and indigenous, and its various practitioners in tropical... more
Published research on disease, health services and indigenous medicine in former Portuguese Africa, is still in an embryonic phase. Whilst the study of medicine, both bio-medical and indigenous, and its various practitioners in tropical regions has steadily grown since the 1980s, ‘Lusophone’ Africa until recently remained a peripheral concern for scholars. However, over the past decade innovative research on the history and anthropology of medicine has begun filling important knowledge gaps in countries such as Mozambique, Angola and Guinea (-Bissau). The present paper focuses on bio- and local medical practice in former Portuguese Guinea and challenges the notion of colonies as 'scientific laboratories' by placing health concerns in the broader context of colonial administration and its political and economic priorities.
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The great changes that occurred in the twentieth century following the microbiological revolution and the discovery of the etiology of malaria and its vectors, provoked an intense debate on the strategies for its erradication and control... more
The great changes that occurred in the twentieth century following the microbiological revolution and the discovery of the etiology of malaria and its vectors, provoked an intense debate on the strategies for its erradication and control in tropical regions. In Africa, where the rudimentary health services were collecting data on 'tropical diseases', malaria was seen as a serious obstacle to European colonization, contributing to a climate of anxiety and fear amongst officialdom and settlers. Although tropical medicine began to viewed as an effective modern response to these threats,
countrering miasmatic theories, the transfer and circulation of biomedical knowledge was by no means immediate or linear in West Africa. In the end, high expectations proved to be unfounded and European settlement remained limited and incipient. The present chapter explores these threads by means of a comparative analysis of of public health policies and strategies which were pursued in the combat against malaria in British, French and Portuguese colonies in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The different criteria which underpinned this 'sanitary turn', are scrutinized against the background of the practical achievements health services obtained, whilst taking into account the broader dimensions of colonial rule.
countrering miasmatic theories, the transfer and circulation of biomedical knowledge was by no means immediate or linear in West Africa. In the end, high expectations proved to be unfounded and European settlement remained limited and incipient. The present chapter explores these threads by means of a comparative analysis of of public health policies and strategies which were pursued in the combat against malaria in British, French and Portuguese colonies in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The different criteria which underpinned this 'sanitary turn', are scrutinized against the background of the practical achievements health services obtained, whilst taking into account the broader dimensions of colonial rule.
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Over the last decades, sub-Saharan Africa has been depicted as a region where independent states have but for a few exceptions proved incapable of guaranteeing national sovereignty, internal stability and basic services to their... more
Over the last decades, sub-Saharan Africa has been depicted as a region where independent states have but for a few exceptions proved incapable of guaranteeing national sovereignty, internal stability and basic services to their populations. State and nation in their various forms and combinations have remained an integral part of the debate on civil society in Africa on a par with ethnicity and modernity. The case of Guinea Bissau plainly justifies a reassessment of nationalism and nationhood in the light of popular narratives. Few countries can boast a successful nationalist armed struggle (1963-1974) as well as a ‘failed state’ to the degree Guinea Bissau appears to have achieved. By focusing on political and popular meanings and metaphors with regard to state and nation, the present chapter analyzes the shift in discourse from the legitimization and reification of the nation to its fragmentation and present insignificance. Covering a time span from the 1960s to the late 1990s it places events and discourse in a comparative context of political change in Africa, with the aid of published literature, archival and oral sources.
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With the professionalization of anthropology in the inter-war years, its increasing focus on sub -Saharan Africa and the changes occurring in the social sciences after WWII with the emergence of African Studies in the 1950s, the approach... more
With the professionalization of anthropology in the inter-war years, its increasing focus on sub -Saharan Africa and the changes occurring in the social sciences after WWII with the
emergence of African Studies in the 1950s, the approach to this “encounter” underwent a paradigm shift embracing social and cultural change. The interconnected nature of social and cultural phenomena proposed by scholars such as Wolf and Geertz and other anthropologists in the 1960s, put the notion of cultural brokerage at the centre of academic bate in the social sciences. The pioneering work by the late Jill Dias on Angola, inspired by the need to understand cross-cultural interaction, negotiation and mediation of fluid identities and practices in the wake of colonial incursions, is highlighted the present essay.
emergence of African Studies in the 1950s, the approach to this “encounter” underwent a paradigm shift embracing social and cultural change. The interconnected nature of social and cultural phenomena proposed by scholars such as Wolf and Geertz and other anthropologists in the 1960s, put the notion of cultural brokerage at the centre of academic bate in the social sciences. The pioneering work by the late Jill Dias on Angola, inspired by the need to understand cross-cultural interaction, negotiation and mediation of fluid identities and practices in the wake of colonial incursions, is highlighted the present essay.
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The present article emphasizes the importance of an understanding of the daily functioning of administration, in terms of the negotiated encounter between the different members of the hierarchy at various levels on the one hand, and... more
The present article emphasizes the importance of an understanding of the daily functioning of administration, in terms of the negotiated encounter between the different members of the hierarchy at various levels on the one hand, and between them and the population at large. Acting as interpreters, informants and intermediaries, administrative guards or sepoys formed part of these multifaceted, indigenous and hybrid networks, and straddled a number of boundaries and institutions. Depending on the circumstances, they were able to occupy the position of ‘gatekeeper’, managing relations between local populations and colonial bureaucracies. As a result, the manner in which these subalterns influenced their superiors, by sometimes autnomously brokering relations and conflicts - or creating and exacerbating them - provides a fresh look at “the malleable underbelly of colonial rule”. With the aid of archival sources, the present essay cast new light on these actors and their actions in the largely neglected context of the Portuguese empire in West Africa, during the crucial phase of colonial rule from the 1930s to the 1950s.
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The question of brokerage is fundamental for an understanding of the complex social, political, economic and cultural contexts of the proto- and colonial periods. In the case of West Africa, 'ethnic' and 'hybrid' communities acted as... more
The question of brokerage is fundamental for an understanding of the complex social, political, economic and cultural contexts of the proto- and colonial periods. In the case of West Africa, 'ethnic' and 'hybrid' communities acted as intermediaries, some of them emerging in the context of Afro-Atlantic exchange along the region’s coast and rivers. In the case of the Guinea Bissau region, christianised communities such as the Kriston stand out as important brokers in the riverine relay trade. During the transition from the slave to the crop export trade during the 19th century, the question of land and access to it became a source of tension and conflict. The political and economic implications of these events were not lost on on local intermediaries, who brokered access to land, crops and markets for incoming settlers and traders. Based upon hitherto unpublished material, the present essay focuses upon the complex relations they maintained with the colonial administration and rural communities, providing fresh insights into a crucial period from the late nineteenth to the first decades of the twentieth century as Portuguese colonial rule imposed itself on African societies.
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Este capítulo centra a sua análise no território conhecido como a 'Guiné Portuguesa' num período muito conturbado da sua história. A situação ali vivida durante as primeras décadas do século XX reflecte as crescentes animosidades entre... more
Este capítulo centra a sua análise no território conhecido como a 'Guiné Portuguesa' num período muito conturbado da sua história. A situação ali vivida durante as primeras décadas do século XX reflecte as crescentes animosidades entre várias facções políticas e estratos sociais, tanto na
própria colónia como entre esta e a metrópole, onde a I República é proclamada. Enquanto as «campanhas de pacificação» ainda correm, com um impacto mortifero sobre as populações, a Guiné é atingida por uma série de escândalos que lançam sérias suspeitas sobre a negligência, incompetência e corrupção que grassava na administração colonial. Uma leitura cuidadosa das sindicâncias que sucessivos governos republicanos instauraram, permite perceber melhor as causas destes antagonismos que deixaram as suas marcas e sequelas futuras no território.
própria colónia como entre esta e a metrópole, onde a I República é proclamada. Enquanto as «campanhas de pacificação» ainda correm, com um impacto mortifero sobre as populações, a Guiné é atingida por uma série de escândalos que lançam sérias suspeitas sobre a negligência, incompetência e corrupção que grassava na administração colonial. Uma leitura cuidadosa das sindicâncias que sucessivos governos republicanos instauraram, permite perceber melhor as causas destes antagonismos que deixaram as suas marcas e sequelas futuras no território.
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Este ensaio pretende tirar a questão fiscal do esquecimento a que tem sido votada quanto ao período colonial em África, e sobretudo no caso das antigas colónias portugueses. O foco sobre as políticas fiscais permite não só entender... more
Este ensaio pretende tirar a questão fiscal do esquecimento a que tem sido votada quanto ao período colonial em África, e sobretudo no caso das antigas colónias portugueses. O foco sobre as políticas fiscais permite não só entender melhor um dos principais pilares da administração colonial, mas também a relação desta com as populações africanas. Olhando para o período entre a introdução do imposto de palhota e o rescaldo da crise mundial, a análise centra-se na 'Guiné Portuguesa', um pequeno enclave entre Senegal e a Guiné Francesa. Passando por tres regimes diferentes, a monarquia, a república e o Estado Novo, as populações da Guiné são transformados em subditos e contribuintes. Enquanto também se estende o olhar para países vizinhos e para Angola e Moçambique, a natureza, a mudança e o impacto das políticas fiscais e orçamentais é traçado com base em fontes publicados e documentos inéditos.
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O envio dos primeiros chineses para a 'Guiné Portuguesa' no início do século XX se insere numa tentativa das autoridades de trazer, à força, novos braços para a então colónia em fase de ocupação, dos vários cantos do império e reanimar as... more
O envio dos primeiros chineses para a 'Guiné Portuguesa' no início do século XX se insere numa tentativa das autoridades de trazer, à força, novos braços para a então colónia em fase de ocupação, dos vários cantos do império e reanimar as economias frágeis destes territórios. As suas origens não são claras, mais provavelmente
vieram - tal como muitos dos seus conterrâneos que foram mandados para Moçambique - da zona de Cantão (Guangzhou) e o estuário do Rio das Pérolas. Os seus conhecimentos do cultivo de arroz e a sua percepção das possibilidades do cultivo deste cereal, serviram para incentivar a plantação de arroz na zona costeira da Guiné. Longe de suspeitar as consequências desta sua iniciativa, estes Chineses criaram as condições para um processo de migração em massa de comunidades
africanas inteiras dentro da colónia, e sobretudo as Balantas, para terras ainda não aproveitadas, e consequente expansão da orizicultura no Sul da Guiné. A sua convivência com as populações locais e integração na sociedade guineense através da agricultura e o pequeno comércio fizeram com que a sua descendência ficou então – e ainda hoje está – perfeitamente integrada no panorama social da Guiné.
vieram - tal como muitos dos seus conterrâneos que foram mandados para Moçambique - da zona de Cantão (Guangzhou) e o estuário do Rio das Pérolas. Os seus conhecimentos do cultivo de arroz e a sua percepção das possibilidades do cultivo deste cereal, serviram para incentivar a plantação de arroz na zona costeira da Guiné. Longe de suspeitar as consequências desta sua iniciativa, estes Chineses criaram as condições para um processo de migração em massa de comunidades
africanas inteiras dentro da colónia, e sobretudo as Balantas, para terras ainda não aproveitadas, e consequente expansão da orizicultura no Sul da Guiné. A sua convivência com as populações locais e integração na sociedade guineense através da agricultura e o pequeno comércio fizeram com que a sua descendência ficou então – e ainda hoje está – perfeitamente integrada no panorama social da Guiné.
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Desde os princípios do século XIX, as autoridades portuguesas tentaram alargar a administração do continente para as Ilhas Bijagós, situadas na costa da Guiné, através de várias campanhas militares. Porém, a resistência activa e passiva... more
Desde os princípios do século XIX, as autoridades portuguesas tentaram alargar a administração do continente para as Ilhas Bijagós, situadas na costa da Guiné, através de várias campanhas militares. Porém, a resistência activa e passiva dos ilhéus, do qual o caso de Canhabaque foi o mais emblemático, continuou a frustrar estas tentativas. Este estudo analisa as consequências destas intervenções, associando o êxodo demográfico das ilhas as práticas abusivas da cobrança do imposto de palhota e da exportação de coconote. Um estudo de caso demonstra a estreita colaboração entre as autoridades e comerciantes e o aproveitamento da mão de obra insular na falta de fiscalização nas Ilhas. Através de testemunhas locais, de chefes, ‘grandes’, e outros habitantes, documentam-se a profunda crise em que a sociedade Bijagó e o arquipélago mergulhou naquela época, além das reacções das autoridades ás denúncias e reclamações por parte dos actores envolvidos.
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A seguir a chamada ‘pacificação’ da Guiné continental em 1915, a administração portuguesa começou a ‘abrir’ o interior, através da construção de estradas. A rápida expansão de uma rede de vias, atravessando um território habitado por... more
A seguir a chamada ‘pacificação’ da Guiné continental em 1915, a administração portuguesa começou a ‘abrir’ o interior, através da construção de estradas. A rápida expansão de uma rede de vias, atravessando um território habitado por comunidades ‘vencidas’ após uma guerra violenta, foi seguido de um período de 'consolidação'. Os trabalhos das rodovias, exclusivamente executados pela população africana, foram acompanhados de práticas duramente criticados e repetidamente denunciadas tanto por observadores estrangeiros como pela inspecção ultramarina a partir dos anos trinta. O presente artigo apresenta um esboço da relação entre a chamada ‘politica indígena’ e o trabalho forçado, e o papel da administração colonial na Guiné quanto a sua implementação, com base em fontes não publicados.
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The appointment of chiefs (‘régulos’ in Guinea and Mozambique, sobas in Angola) became a cornerstone of colonial rule in all of Portugal’s continental African territories in the early 20th century. Its implementation occurred just as... more
The appointment of chiefs (‘régulos’ in Guinea and Mozambique, sobas in Angola) became a cornerstone of colonial rule in all of Portugal’s continental African territories in the early 20th century. Its implementation occurred just as Portugal was seeking to dominate African societies by military means. As a result, those dignitaries who allied themselves with colonial interests were rewarded with chieftainships, thus in effect becoming ‘agents of pacification’. The creation of an intermediate, auxiliary layer between ‘citizens and subjects’ at once allowed regimes to claim customary authenticity, as well as giving them a regional political base. At the same time, these chieftainships formed an integral part of the broader notion of ‘native’ policy or ‘política indígena’: the introduction of this ‘modern’ concept of governance entailed the juxtaposition of administrative dichotomies such as ‘citizen’ (civilizado, civilized person) and ‘subject’ (indígena, native). Rather than ‘tribal’ these chieftainships were essentially ‘territorial’ obeying to an administrative rationale. The present chapter shows that tax collection was one the principal vectors of governance characterised by political expediency and personal interests. The dilution and fragmentation of ethnic identities and intra-ethnic rivalries did not lead to reforms in the absence of a political consensus. The anti-colonial war would eventually confront colonial and metropolitan administration with the consequences of their negligence.
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Over the past decades Afro-Atlantic ports have received increasing attention from historians and economists . The Upper Guinea Coast and the Guinea Bissau region are no exception to the rule. However, on the whole they have mainly been... more
Over the past decades Afro-Atlantic ports have received increasing attention from historians and economists . The Upper Guinea Coast and the Guinea Bissau region are no exception to the rule. However, on the whole they have mainly been studied from a historical angle, to the detriment of anthropological approaches. The present chapter intends to fill lacuna in this respect by tracing the evolution of patterns of kinship, descent and alliance with regard to women’s commercial roles in one such Afro-Atlantic trading post. From the 1500s to the late 1600s when the trade in slaves and local produce intensifies, the town of Cacheu became the principal port of call on the Guinea coast. Based on unpublished sources, the chapter sketches the gendered dynamics of inter-ethnic and Afro-Atlantic relations the powerful images of female personhood that amanate from these fringes of empire.
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The present chapter takes a closer look at the impact of the transition from the trans-Atlantic slave trade to legitimate commerce in nineteenth century 'Portuguese Guinea' on the West-African coast. Based upon published and archival... more
The present chapter takes a closer look at the impact of the transition from the trans-Atlantic slave trade to legitimate commerce in nineteenth century 'Portuguese Guinea' on the West-African coast. Based upon published and archival sources, it focuses the rise of ñaras or 'big women' traders, and their role as influential planter and brokers. In particular, two powerful women traders who left indelible marks on the region, by tracing their careers, life styles, fortunes, kinship relations, and partnerships. Particular attention is given to the political and economic changes that transformed these African women - but excluding many others - from enemies into allies of Portuguese interests in the region.
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Bibiana Vaz formed part of the Christianized or Kriston community of the town of Cacheu on the Upper Guinea Coast in the seventeenth century, trading with the peoples of the region in slaves, beeswax, ivory, hides, and kola nuts in... more
Bibiana Vaz formed part of the Christianized or Kriston community of the town of Cacheu on the Upper Guinea Coast in the seventeenth century, trading with the peoples of the region in slaves, beeswax, ivory, hides, and kola nuts in exchange for Euro-Atlantic commodities. As the most prominent member of the Vaz trade lineage, she led a rebellion against the Portuguese authorities in Cacheu, deposing the governor. The triumvirate which ruled with her patronage, claimed Cacheu as a free trade zone while excluding Portuguese interests from trading directly with African suppliers. Taken prisoner, she was deported to the Cape Verde islands, but subsequently pardoned on account of the skillful use of her influence in coastal networks, which made her indispensable for brokering the settlement of ongoing conflicts.
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Rosa de Carvalho Alvarenga, an African merchant and trader in Portuguese Guinea (present-day Guinea-Bissau) - also known as Dona Rosa or Nha Rosa - grew up in Cacheu, one of the main slave ports on the Upper Guinea coast. She would... more
Rosa de Carvalho Alvarenga, an African merchant and trader in Portuguese Guinea (present-day Guinea-Bissau) - also known as Dona Rosa or Nha Rosa - grew up in Cacheu, one of the main slave ports on the Upper Guinea coast. She would become one of the most powerful and wealthy slave traders during the first half of the nineteenth century. Married to a Capeverdean official, Nha Rosa would establish herself as the head of a trading lineage as well as pioneering commercial rice cultivation in the region. Together with her son, Honório Pereira Barreto, who served as governor of Cacheu and of Portuguese Guinea until his death in 1859, she managed the family's business affairs. Her kin ties with African societies and Cape Verde's creole communities. gave her a unique position as a broker in a cross-cultural setting.
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Aurélia Correia was a powerful slave trader, planter and power broker in nineteenth century Portuguese Guinea. Her career would span decades and illustrates the transition from the slave to the legitimate trade. Educated in a local... more
Aurélia Correia was a powerful slave trader, planter and power broker in nineteenth century Portuguese Guinea. Her career would span decades and illustrates the transition from the slave to the legitimate trade. Educated in a local Kriston community along the coast, she would marry a Capeverdean official and slave trader, their affairs being closely watched by British anti-slavery patrols. Pioneering the cultivation of peanuts in Portuguese Guinea, she would become one of the most influential planters and exporters during the peanut boom, while brokering deals and treaties with local ruling lineages. Her descendants would continue her trading lineage, which continues to the present day and is preserved in oral traditions
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The Atlantic Ocean, transcending national boundaries as it does, has long been seen as a pivotal site for understanding the way in which local and regional economies and cultural frameworks gradually became integrated into a global system... more
The Atlantic Ocean, transcending national boundaries as it does, has long been seen as a pivotal site for understanding the way in which local and regional economies and cultural frameworks gradually became integrated into a global system during the early modern era. A key concept that has brought new insight to the study of transnationalism is that of brokerage. Brokers are people who link up different worlds and are at ease in a variety of cultural settings; they have a flexibility of outlook and cultural identification. Brokerage can explain and add nuance to the multiple cultural worlds and intense trade characteristics of the regions of West Africa.
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A Missão de Geografia de Orlando Ribeiro à Guiné, que se inseriu nos trabalhos da Junta de Investigações Coloniais, foi pioneira no recentrar do estudo das colónias lusas no reconhecimento in loco através de trabalho de campo e o... more
A Missão de Geografia de Orlando Ribeiro à Guiné, que se inseriu nos trabalhos da Junta de Investigações Coloniais, foi
pioneira no recentrar do estudo das colónias lusas no reconhecimento in loco através de trabalho de campo e o
contacto direto com as populações. Num curto espaço de tempo dividida em duas viagens para a Guiné durante o ano
de 1947, o geógrafo visitou aldeias no Norte, Leste e Oeste da então colónia, em parte em colaboração com os responsáveis da missão de geologia que já estavam no terreno. As notas que fez das suas andanças nesta região, as suas pesquisas, os inquéritos junto as populações, os desenhos e fotografias, contém observações multifacetadas do ambiente e a vida local através de uma abordagem despido de paternalismos, hierarquias e preconceitos comuns para a época. O presente ensaio pretende demonstrar a relevância do trabalho feito pelo autor na Guiné e a sua contribuição para o saber colonial no quadro da investigação académica sob o Estado Novo, sobretudo na sua vertente da ciência humana e humanista.
pioneira no recentrar do estudo das colónias lusas no reconhecimento in loco através de trabalho de campo e o
contacto direto com as populações. Num curto espaço de tempo dividida em duas viagens para a Guiné durante o ano
de 1947, o geógrafo visitou aldeias no Norte, Leste e Oeste da então colónia, em parte em colaboração com os responsáveis da missão de geologia que já estavam no terreno. As notas que fez das suas andanças nesta região, as suas pesquisas, os inquéritos junto as populações, os desenhos e fotografias, contém observações multifacetadas do ambiente e a vida local através de uma abordagem despido de paternalismos, hierarquias e preconceitos comuns para a época. O presente ensaio pretende demonstrar a relevância do trabalho feito pelo autor na Guiné e a sua contribuição para o saber colonial no quadro da investigação académica sob o Estado Novo, sobretudo na sua vertente da ciência humana e humanista.
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Since the mid-1990s the idea of a “Black Atlantic,” as proposed by Gilroy (1993), has opened up new perspectives upon the cultural aspects of transatlantic interactions. So far, relatively little has been written about the cultural... more
Since the mid-1990s the idea of a “Black Atlantic,” as proposed by Gilroy (1993), has opened up new perspectives upon the cultural aspects of transatlantic interactions. So far, relatively little has been written about the cultural history of this fascinating Afro-Atlantic mosaic and of the Creole vernaculars that characterize it. The present chapter addresses the emergence of Creole vernaculars in the Guinea Bissau region against the background of the formation of hybrid social groups and cross-cultural interactions triggered by the Afro-Atlantic encounters. In doing so, it intends to provide a historical perspective upon the way these vernaculars provide insights into the ongoing (re)negotiation of local narratives, identities and practices as they were represented in written - and mostly locally produced - sources from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries.
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Until its military occupation in 1915, the territory allocated to Portugal at the Berlin Conference (approximately the size of the Netherlands, i.e. 36,000 km2) wedged inbetween the neighbouring French West Africa, could only be... more
Until its military occupation in 1915, the territory allocated to Portugal at the Berlin Conference (approximately the size of the Netherlands, i.e. 36,000 km2) wedged inbetween the neighbouring French West Africa, could
only be travelled by way of the region’s many rivers. The first stretches of road – about 70 km – were built during the pacification campaign in the North of the territory (1913-1915) to facilitate the movement of troops and equipment. In the 1920s an ambitious road-building scheme was implemented which by the end of the decade amounted to almost 3000 kms of a hardened surface network. However, thereafter little was added to the network and plans for a railway line were shelved. In addition, a large part of the network remained inaccessible during the rainy season, and a significant number of vehicles in the (small) car pool were out of action for long periods of time or abandoned due to a lack of maintenance and spare parts. Based upon hitherto unexplored Portuguese and French archival sources, the chapter takes a closer look at the underlying reasons for dashed hopes and disenchantment with progress, which turned out to be much more elusive than expected.
only be travelled by way of the region’s many rivers. The first stretches of road – about 70 km – were built during the pacification campaign in the North of the territory (1913-1915) to facilitate the movement of troops and equipment. In the 1920s an ambitious road-building scheme was implemented which by the end of the decade amounted to almost 3000 kms of a hardened surface network. However, thereafter little was added to the network and plans for a railway line were shelved. In addition, a large part of the network remained inaccessible during the rainy season, and a significant number of vehicles in the (small) car pool were out of action for long periods of time or abandoned due to a lack of maintenance and spare parts. Based upon hitherto unexplored Portuguese and French archival sources, the chapter takes a closer look at the underlying reasons for dashed hopes and disenchantment with progress, which turned out to be much more elusive than expected.
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The present biographical sketch focuses on the career of Jill R. Dias (West Bromwich, 1944 - Lisbon, 2008) who taught African History and Anthropology at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities (FCSH) of the Universidade Nova in... more
The present biographical sketch focuses on the career of Jill R. Dias (West Bromwich, 1944 - Lisbon, 2008) who taught African History and Anthropology at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities (FCSH) of the Universidade Nova in Lisbon from 1982 onwards. Throughout her career she maintained a strong relationship with her students and introduced innovative approaches to teaching and research on African history, economic and social history, the history of anthropology, the anthropology of development, and colonialism and post-colonialism. She was a pioneer of the introduction of African Studies in Portugal, with a strong focus on Portuguese speaking African countries. Her inter- and trans-disciplinary perspective contributed to breaking down traditional academic barriers and challenged students and colleagues alike to broaden their horizons. Her work on Angola centering upon the slave trade, colonial expansion, its impact and above all the agency of African societies, which was based upon the use of a wide range of sources represents a key marker in African Studies.
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The Workshop on the History of Tropical Medicine will be held at the Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (IHMT-UNL) of the Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, in Lisbon on 14 & 15 December 2017, forming part of the celebrations of the 115... more
The Workshop on the History of Tropical Medicine will be held at the Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (IHMT-UNL) of the Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, in Lisbon on 14 & 15 December 2017, forming part of the celebrations of the 115 anniversary of the IHMT. We look forward to multi/trans-disciplinary as well as comparative perspectives on the historiography of tropical medicine, and welcome PhD and post-doc researchers to submit their contributions.
For more information please check the following link:
http://www.ihmt.unl.pt/en/call-for-papers-workshop-on-the-history-of-tropical-medicine/
For more information please check the following link:
http://www.ihmt.unl.pt/en/call-for-papers-workshop-on-the-history-of-tropical-medicine/
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Panel T054: "In the meshes of scientific knowledge: empires, knowledge and professionalization". Abstract: "The issue of the practice of a networked science is a central topic in the field of the history of science and when studying... more
Panel T054: "In the meshes of scientific knowledge: empires, knowledge and professionalization".
Abstract: "The issue of the practice of a networked science is a central topic in the field of the history of science and when studying related research projects. From the late 19th century, the modernization of some peripheral societies has benefited from the increasingly important inter-imperial knowledge flows, mainly in the context of supranational organizations, such as the League of Nations, and also of bilateral cooperation agreements. In areas as diverse as law, economics, engineering, education, health or other then emerging sciences, these networks would later arise as discussion forums joining specialists, although not disregarding the need for political and administrative representatives of their several countries. These “epistemic communities” were further characterized by “imperial tensions” inspired by nationalist and protectionist ideas, but also by personal protagonism, while scientific professionalization and specialization began to create divisions which often created barriers to the peer-to-peer dynamics. This panel intends to discuss the features of the circulation and exchange of scientific knowledge in the context of various national and imperial spaces. Proposals are accepted regarding this subject, from a multidisciplinary and compared point of view, considering the changes and the debates that took place over time".
Abstract: "The issue of the practice of a networked science is a central topic in the field of the history of science and when studying related research projects. From the late 19th century, the modernization of some peripheral societies has benefited from the increasingly important inter-imperial knowledge flows, mainly in the context of supranational organizations, such as the League of Nations, and also of bilateral cooperation agreements. In areas as diverse as law, economics, engineering, education, health or other then emerging sciences, these networks would later arise as discussion forums joining specialists, although not disregarding the need for political and administrative representatives of their several countries. These “epistemic communities” were further characterized by “imperial tensions” inspired by nationalist and protectionist ideas, but also by personal protagonism, while scientific professionalization and specialization began to create divisions which often created barriers to the peer-to-peer dynamics. This panel intends to discuss the features of the circulation and exchange of scientific knowledge in the context of various national and imperial spaces. Proposals are accepted regarding this subject, from a multidisciplinary and compared point of view, considering the changes and the debates that took place over time".
