Narrating São Tomé: Cape Verdean memories of contract labour in the Portuguese empire

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Main Author: Lisa Åkesson
Format: Artículo científico
Language:en
Published: Centro em Rede de Investigação em Antropologia 2016
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author Lisa Åkesson
author_facet Lisa Åkesson
contents Narrating São Tomé: Cape Verdean memories of contract labour in the Portuguese empire Lisa Åkesson Antropología Memory São Tomé narrative Cape Verde contract labour In Cape Verdean collective memory, the channelling by Portuguese colonial authorities of contract labourers to São Tomé is associated with slavery and suffering. This article juxtaposes the collective memory with the narrative of a former contract labourer, senhor Fernando, who paints a relatively positive picture of his distant years in São Tomé. Through a theoretical discussion of collective and individual memory, the article argues that the contrast between these narratives has to do with the differences between the identities they reproduce. The collective narrative of subjection and victimhood is historically rooted in the fight for Cape Verdean independence and the moral right to a separate national identity. Senhor Fernando’s story about how he took ownership of his situation, despite all the hardships, draws on a number of different social identities, a repertoire that enables him to establish himself as agent rather than as victim. 2016 artículo científico 0873-6561 https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=372344649003 en http://www.redalyc.org/revista.oa?id=3723 Etnográfica application/pdf Centro em Rede de Investigação em Antropologia Etnográfica (Portugal) Num.1 Vol.20
format Artículo científico
id redalyc_372344649003
institution Redalyc
language en
publishDate 2016
publisher Centro em Rede de Investigação em Antropologia
spellingShingle Narrating São Tomé: Cape Verdean memories of contract labour in the Portuguese empire
Lisa Åkesson
Antropología
Memory
São Tomé
narrative
Cape Verde
contract labour
Narrating São Tomé: Cape Verdean memories of contract labour in the Portuguese empire Lisa Åkesson Antropología Memory São Tomé narrative Cape Verde contract labour In Cape Verdean collective memory, the channelling by Portuguese colonial authorities of contract labourers to São Tomé is associated with slavery and suffering. This article juxtaposes the collective memory with the narrative of a former contract labourer, senhor Fernando, who paints a relatively positive picture of his distant years in São Tomé. Through a theoretical discussion of collective and individual memory, the article argues that the contrast between these narratives has to do with the differences between the identities they reproduce. The collective narrative of subjection and victimhood is historically rooted in the fight for Cape Verdean independence and the moral right to a separate national identity. Senhor Fernando’s story about how he took ownership of his situation, despite all the hardships, draws on a number of different social identities, a repertoire that enables him to establish himself as agent rather than as victim. 2016 artículo científico 0873-6561 https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=372344649003 en http://www.redalyc.org/revista.oa?id=3723 Etnográfica application/pdf Centro em Rede de Investigação em Antropologia Etnográfica (Portugal) Num.1 Vol.20
title Narrating São Tomé: Cape Verdean memories of contract labour in the Portuguese empire
topic Antropología
Memory
São Tomé
narrative
Cape Verde
contract labour
url https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=372344649003