Portuguese West Africa Angola

Author : Gerald J. Bender
Publisher : Univ of California Press
ISBN 13 : 9780520032217
Total Pages : 324 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (322 download)

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Download or read book Angola Under the Portuguese written by Gerald J. Bender and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 1978-01-01 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book is the first comprehensive study of race relations in Angola. It covers the entire five-century-long relationship between the peoples of Angola and Portugal. Portuguese imperial thinkers asserted that they were unique among European colonizers in their ability to establish and maintain egalitarian and non-discriminatory relationships with tropical peoples. This concept was elevated to a philosophical plateau and given the name Lusotropicalism. Propagated with fervor by Portuguese colonial thinkers, Lusotropical doctrines were widely accepted as being valid by twentieth-century diplomats and political thinkers in both Europe and the United States, many of whom believed that Portuguese colonialism in Africa would continue indefinitely. The evidence presented in this work indicates that Portuguese rule in Angola was deeply racist. This conclusion is based on a considerable body of data gleaned from archival sources, personal collections, and systematic interviewing of racially diverse Angolans and Portuguese functionaries in the colonial administration and the private sector. Special emphasis is placed on devices that the Portuguese used to delude themselves and others about the realities of their attitudes and behavior as ruling elites. The study concludes with an assessment of the impact of Lusotropical myths on independent Angola.