ARTICLE
The Eu ocen ic Cons an : An App oach o he
S udy o Mozambican Li e a u e
Helena González Do al
Uni e sidade de San iago de Compos ela, Spain
Email: [email p o ec ed]
Abs ac
The s udy o Mozambican li e a u e is p esen a a ious la i udes wi hin he academic
wo ld. The e a e, howe e , di e en ou looks and in e es s ha mus be analyzed i we
wan o accoun o he epis emologies p esen when acing a pos colonial eali y such
as Mozambique. On he unde s anding ha li e a y ex s a e codi ied cul u al in o -
ma ion and ha academics unc ion as legi ima o s o discou ses, his a icle o e s an
analysis o a co pus o academic publica ions on Mozambican li e a u e published
be ween 1975 and 2018. I posi s he eby he possible exis ence o a Eu ocen ic
cons an wi hin academic knowledge p oduc ion and p oposes some pa hs o ac ion
ha may be o ele an pedagogical and sel - e lec i e po en iali y o he in es iga i e
exe cise i sel .
Keywo ds: Mozambican li e a u e; epis emology; academy
The Eu ocen ic Cons an : An App oach o he S udy o Mozambican
Li e a u e
The opic o his a icle is he s udy o Mozambican li e a u e—who s udies i and
how i is s udied. This implies an engagemen wi h a numbe o di e en
hypo heses, coo dina es, and ch onologies. The main aim, howe e , is o ind
ou wha kind o iews a e o med abou Mozambique by ocusing on academic
ex s ha s udy i s li e a y sys em. To wha ex en do hese iews p omo e and
s engh en he au onomy o a e i o y in he global sou h and whose p ocesses
o independence and decoloniza ion a e s ill ela i ely ecen and ma ked also
by neocolonialism.
1
We s a , in ac , om a hypo hesis based on a his o ical
© The Au ho (s), 2023. Published by Camb idge Uni e si y P ess. This is an Open Access a icle, dis ibu ed unde
he e ms o he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion licence (h p://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by/4.0), which
pe mi s un es ic ed e-use, dis ibu ion and ep oduc ion, p o ided he o iginal a icle is p ope ly ci ed.
1
See La inia Gaspe ini, Moçambique: educação e desen ol imen o u al (Roma: Edizioni La o o/
ISCOS, 1989).
The Camb idge Jou nal o Pos colonial Li e a y Inqui y (2023),
10: 2, 198–216; doi:10.1017/pli.2023.6
h ps://doi.o g/10.1017/pli.2023.6 Published online by Camb idge Uni e si y P ess
p ejudice inhe i ed om colonialism and he low quali y o li e o Mozambicans:
2
ha neocolonialism weighs hea ily on he coun y and in luences he pe spec-
i es adop ed when alking abou li e a u e o his coun y.
My me hodology is mainly empi ical and quan i a i e. Using s a is ical ools,
his allows me o con as da a sys ema ically and hus p esen assump ions o
hypo heses o e i ica ion, as well as es ablishing ela ionships and in e ela-
ionships among he da a.
The Academy and Powe
I am dealing he e wi h wo conc e e componen s wi hin he li e a y ins i u ion:
he academic ex and he li e a y schola as a social ac o . Bo h a e c ucial in
o de o unde s and he places ha li e a y ex s occupy in cul u e and he
epe oi es ha a e o med om hem. As Pie e Bou dieu p oposes, hese wo
elemen s—academic ex s and social agen s—a e inse ed in an ins i u ion ha is
con igu ed as a ield o powe wi hin socie y. Fo he F ench esea che , a ield
ope a es wi h speci ic laws and on he basis o a ela ion s uc u e o s uggles
be ween agen s and ins i u ions, which, in he case o he academy, o m and
ins i u ionalize a cons an ension be ween he p oduc ion o knowledge and he
con ol o knowledge.
3
The academy unc ions he eby as an en i y wi h he
powe , albei inc easingly limi ed and dilu ed, o impose i s cul u al no ms on
socie y.
4
The eason o his is ha social ac o s in he academy selec he wo ks
ha will be p ese ed o achie e g ea e social ep esen a ion. The academy is
hence no only a place o di usion and ansmission. Ra he , he e y exis ence
o consec a ed wo ks and o ules ha de ine and model as es u ns i in o an
ins i u ion o legi ima ion and consec a ion.
Fu he mo e, I in end o o e some pe spec i es on social ac o s who ha e
been dealing wi h Mozambican li e a y ex s. This may con ibu e o unde -
s anding how he academy wo ks also wi hin Mozambique, which ex s and
which epe oi es a e consec a ed, wha is he consec a ing ole o Mozambican
academics and how a hei p oduc ion eaches. A ques ion o pa icula
in e es is how much o an o e lap he e is be ween he in e es s o
Mozambican esea che s and o ou side s. Mo e conc e ely: does he “agenda”
o Mozambican li e a y s udies ou side Mozambique coincide wi h in e es s in
he Mozambican academic ield? We migh also emembe ha when alking
abou Mozambique we a e dealing wi h a space ha is comple ely pe iphe al in
ela ion o he Wes — he hegemonic sea o legi ima e knowledge and ( ela-
i ely speaking) o capi alis dynamics.
2
See Wilson Domingos, A he ança neocolonial po uguesa em moçambique: (1885–1975): Desen ol imen o
ou es agnação? (Facul y P esiden e Venceslau, 2013).
3
Pie e Bou dieu in Ques ions de sociologie (Pa is: Les Edi ions de Minui , 1984) claims ha ields
p esen hemsel es o synch onic app ehension as s uc u ed spaces o posi ions whose p ope ies
depend on hei posi ion in hese spaces and which can be analyzed independen ly o he cha ac-
e is ics o hei occupan s (in pa de e mined by hem).
4
See Pie e Bou dieu, Campo de pode , campo in elec ual (Mon esso , 2002).
The Eu ocen ic Cons an : An App oach o he S udy o Mozambican Li e a u e 199
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My epis emological and ideological coo dina es ake in o accoun in his way
ce ain geopoli ical no ions, s a ing om he hypo hesis ha he e is a ce ain
conse a ism in academic knowledge ha makes i necessa y o e ise Eu ocen-
ic concep s and hei neocolonial echoes.
5
This a icle a emp s, in o he wo ds,
o conside c i ically whe he he cul u es and epis emic pe spec i es o exco-
lonized peoples a e legi imized and o wha ex en hey a e made isible o
accessible in he Eu ocen ic p ojec and p oduc o mode ni y.
In subal e n s udies and pos colonial heo iza ion, he ocus lies on he
ejec ion o he cogni i e and socio-cul u al legacies o colonialism, such as
Eu ocen ism, conside ed as an epis emic s ance, as well as he ques ioning
wi hin he connec ions among powe , knowledge, and e i o ial dis ibu ion o
he wo ld, wi h Eu ope a i s cen e . The p e ension o objec i i y and uni e -
sali y o he o ms o knowledge ins i u ionalized as “sciences”in he cou se o
he p ocess o colonial subjuga ion o he wo ld also en e s he deba e, as does
he geocul u al decen e ing o he locus o enuncia ion o knowledge, om he
Wes o o he pos colonial spaces.
Theo is s such as Paulo Medei os poin ou as indispensable he e usal o
Eu opean nos algia and he accep ance o he pos colonial eali y o a Eu ope
ha mus e hink i sel , ejec ing me hodological dicho omies be ween colo-
nize and colonized, as well as he assump ion ha Eu ope i sel is pos -
impe ial.
6
Fo he pa , Ana Ma alda Lei e, when alking abou he unc ion o
he academic as p oduce /legi ima o , s a es:
The ques ion o he academic’s esponsibili y, when ouchsa ing he
exp essi e “subjec i i y”o he subal e n, leads ul ima ely o he p omo-
ion o hei own subal e ni y, o he ex en ha i s ep esen a ion amoun s
o a subs i u ion and an exo iciza ion, hence o ye ano he ac o silencing,
o o he absolu e un ep esen a ibili y and absence o ha subjec i i y.
7
The challenges and ambi ions o pos colonial s udies and i s a ian s ace
eno mous con adic ions. We e e o he idea o a subal e ni y o all knowledge
p oduced ou side Eu ope, o an “asymme ical igno ance” ha cha ac e izes he
ela ions be ween knowledge a ising in he i s and hi d wo ld. As Fe nando
Co onil poin s ou , “Pos colonialism did no su icien ly ecognize he pe sis-
ence o neocolonialism, impe ialism and s uc u es o dependency.”
8
5
Elias To es Feijó, Pensa a Li e a u a no séc. XXI (B aga: Publicações da Faculdade de Filoso ia
Uni e sidade Ca ólica Po uguesa, 2011), 241–56.
6
See Paulo Medei os’s a icle “7 passos (pa a pensa uma Eu opa pós-impe ial),”in Na a i a Pós-
Colonial I. Angola e Moçambique, eds. Ana Ma alda Lei e e al. (Lisboa: Edições Colib i, 2012), 323–38.
7
My ansla ion. Ana Ma alda Lei e, Cenog a ias Pós-Coloniais & Es udos sob e li e a u a moçambicana
(Lisboa: Edições Colib i, 2018), 23: “A ques ão p ende-se an es com a esponsabilidade do académico
que, ao ga an i ao subal e no ‘uma subje i idade’exp essi a, acaba po p omo e delibe adamen e
a sua subal e nidade, na medida em quea sua ep esen ação consis e na sua subs i uição e exo ização,
mais uma ez no seu silenciamen o, ou na sua o al i ep esen abilidade e ausência.”
8
“The End o Pos colonial Theo y? A Round able wi h Sunil Agnai, Fe nando Co onil, Gau a
Desai, Mamadou Diou , Susie Tha u and Jenni e Wenzel,”PMLA 122.3 (2007): 642.
200 Helena González Do al
h ps://doi.o g/10.1017/pli.2023.6 Published online by Camb idge Uni e si y P ess
Cul u al Diplomacy: The Gaze o he O he
Besides he a o emen ioned academic p ac ices, ano he o m o powe in ela ion
o he p oduc ion o knowledge is also needed: cul u al diplomacy. I we unde -
s and ha cul u al diplomacy, ac ing in he exchange o ideas and in o ma ion, is
undamen al o he mu ual unde s anding o people and na ions,we will see how,
in e ms o cul u e, he ela ions be ween sys ems a e con igu ed and apply—in a
posi i e case—concep s implici in he heo e ical amewo k o his ield.
Examining conc e ely he case o he Communi y o Po uguese Language
Coun ies (CPLP) we see how cul u al diplomacy plays a undamen al ole wi hin
in e na ional ela ions, in luencing bo h he way in which o he s see i and he
ways in which i cons uc s i sel . Cul u al diplomacy can be ui ul as long as he
knowledge o he O he is mu ual, p o iding a dialogue ha implies equi y
be ween he spaces ha pa icipa e in i .
As a esul , he decla a ions will o en all well sho o he eali ies. In 2021,
he CPLP, o example, de ined i sel as “a p i ileged mul ila e al o um o
deepening mu ual iendship and coope a ion be ween i s membe s.”C ea ed on
July 17, 1996, i is go e ned by he p inciples o :
So e eign equali y be ween i s membe s a es; non-in e e ence in
he in e nal a ai s o each s a e; espec o each o he s’na ional iden i y;
ecip oci y; he p imacy o peace, o democ acy, o he ule o law, o human
igh s and social jus ice; espec o e i o ial in eg i y; p omo ion o
de elopmen ; p omo ion o mu ually bene icial coope a ion.
9
Con a y o hese challenges, howe e , Elias To es highligh s he his o ical,
social, economic, and cul u al asymme y o he Lusophone wo ld (al eady he
use o his denomina ion in i es dissen , as is known), sugges ing ha i ine -
i ably ca ies wi h i impe ial o neocolonial echoes.
10
On he basis o hese o ien a ions, we ask ou sel es he e, he e o e, in e ms
o wha Feijó calls he in e sys em and ocusing on he scope o academic s udies,
whe he he e is a c i ical mass o s udies ocusing on Mozambique and, gi en
also he decolonizing and decen e ing challenges o pos colonial s udies,
whe he i aims a minimizing hegemonic endencies and ela ionships.
Co pus: Es ablishmen and Managemen
The p ima y ma e ial o his a icle was ga he ed by conduc ing da abase
sea ches o academic ex s ocusing on Mozambican li e a y ex s, including
9
My ansla ion. CPLP. Comunidade de Países de Lingua Po uguesa,(h ps://www.cplp.o g/id-
2763.aspx): “igualdade sobe ana dos Es ados memb os; não-inge ência nos assun os in e nos de cada
es ado; espei o pela sua iden idade nacional; ecip ocidade de a amen o; p imado da paz, da
democ acia, do es ado de di ei o, dos di ei os humanos e dajus iça social; espei o pela sua in eg idade
e i o ial; P omoção do desen ol imen o; p omoção da coope ação mu uamen e an ajosa.”
10
See Elias To es Feijó, “Es udos da li e a u a e da cul u a no âmbi o da língua po uguesa e
diplomacia da cul u a: ca ências e possibilidades,”Re is a UFG, 14 (2013): 161–81.
The Eu ocen ic Cons an : An App oach o he S udy o Mozambican Li e a u e 201
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a icles, books, PhD, mas e ’s and bachelo ’s heses. In his sec ion speci ically, I
will ocus on a icles p oduced by academics.
The JabRe bibliog aphic managemen so wa e was used as a ool, bo h o
compila ion and classi ica ion, including he ype o suppo o he academic
ex ; he i le; he au ho ’s name, he o igin, and he ins i u ion o which hey
belong; yea , publishe , o o ganism o publica ion and, i i exis s, he link o
access i . Rega ding he con en , an abs ac and i e keywo ds we e included.
When sea ching o academic ex s, I consul ed he main wo ld da abases o
ob ain as eliable and exhaus i e in o ma ion as possible. This is he case o he
Wo ld Ca alogue o in o ma ion on lib a y collec ions Wo ldCa , he collabo a ion
and academic publishing pla o ms Resea ch-ga e and Academia.edu, and he
da abase on Mozambican li e a u e p oduced by he chai o Po uguese a
Edua do Mondlane Uni e si y. In he i s h ee cases, we used as keywo ds:
“Mozambican li e a u e”(in Po uguese, Spanish, and English because he
o me is he o icial language in Mozambique and in he Lusophone in e sys em
and because he la e wo a e he wo languages wi h he g ea es p esence in
he Wes e n academic sphe e), wi h he keywo ds “Mozambique li e a u e”as a
a ian .
In his sense, i is necessa y o cla i y ha he in en ion o his wo k is no o
ga he all he exis ing publica ions, bu a signi ican numbe o hem ha could
ep esen he exis ing o ali y in a mo e o less eliable way. As men ioned, we
eso ed o a speci ic and es ic ed numbe o pla o ms, so we a e awa e o he
limi a ions o he co pus.
The ch onological pe iod o publica ion o elabo a ion o his co pus
anges om 1975 o 2017; ha is o say, since he Mozambican independence,
he cons i u ion o Mozambique as a na ion-s a e wi hin he A ican con i-
nen wi h incipien capaci y o in e nal academic p oduc ion and objec o
a en ion as a new socio-poli ical eali y, and a e m ad quo su icien ly
b oad and, a he same ime, eliable o de e mine i s en i e co pus exhaus-
i ely. The e we e hus 150 academic a icles published in a ious academic
jou nals.
Resul s: S a is ics and Desc ip ion o S a is ics
Abou his o al olume, he ollowing ables and conside a ions show he esul s
ob ained.
Fi s ly, conce ning he yea o publica ion ( om 1975 o 2017), he e is a ise
om 2009 ( wel e a icles egis e ed) onwa ds, bu e y li le be o e hen.
These ables cla i y ha he e is in B azil a sus ained in e es in he s udy o
Mozambican li e a u e (Tables 1,2,3and 4). The eason o his hegemony is
la gely i s demog aphic weigh and numbe o academic ins i u ions. In con-
as , he low numbe o publica ions in Po uguese jou nals appa en ly con-
adic s he magni ude o Po ugal’s academic ield, i s his o ical ela ions wi h
Mozambique, and he e y objec i es ma ked by he CPLP. In he Mozambican
case, he low igu e can be explained by he lack o esou ces o he coun y’s
uni e si y ins i u ions.
202 Helena González Do al
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As shown in Table 5 he ICDS index (Composi e Index o Seconda y Di usion)
es ablished by he In o ma ion Ma ix o Analysis o Jou nals (MIAR) and he
p esence in wo o he mos ele an bibliog aphic da abases in his a ea (Scopus
and A s & Humani ies) we e used as indica o s o assess he ela i e impo ance o
he jou nals. We can see ha he jou nals wi h he g ea es impac a e Eu opean
and Ame ican (only wo a e om B azil), which con i ms ha he e is g ea e
dissemina ion and legi imiza ion o knowledge p oduced in he Wes .
Table 2. O igin o he Ins i u ion
O igin o Uni e si ies Numbe o Uni e si ies
B azilian uni e si ies 45
Po uguese uni e si ies 5
Mozambican uni e si ies 4
US uni e si ies 4
Spanish uni e si ies 3
F ench uni e si ies 2
Angolan uni e si ies 1
Sou ce: My p oduc ion.
Table 1. O igin o Academics
Coun y Numbe o Academics
B asil 76
Mozambique 18
Po ugal 10
Spain 2
F ance 2
Angola 1
Colombia 1
I aly 1
Aus ia 1
Czech Republic 1
Ge many 1
USA 1
UK 1
Sou ce: My p oduc ion.
The Eu ocen ic Cons an : An App oach o he S udy o Mozambican Li e a u e 203
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The lis o he hemes (Table 6) was based on he abs ac s and keywo ds o
each a icle. I wan o d aw a en ion he e o he a icles dealing wi h he
condi ion o Mozambican women, a end ha has been inc easing since 2005
h ough he s udy o Paulina Chiziane’s wo ks, acco ding o he esul s o he
da abase. The p esence o he Indian Ocean in li e a y ex s is also impo an as a
symp om o mul icul u alism and hyb idism. In his sense, he appea ance o his
heme in 2013 in a Po uguese jou nal, Diac í ica, h ough wo k by Nazi Ahmed
Can and he I alian schola Jessica Falconi, may indica e a non-Eu ocen ic
in e cul u al u n.
Discussion o Resul s
Fo an e ec i e discussion o he esul s p esen ed, we can es ablish a pe iod-
iza ion ha delimi s some app oxima e phases in he pe iod om 1975 o 2017.
F om 1975 un il he beginning o he millennium, he numbe o publica ions
was low. This coincides wi h a u bulen ime in Mozambican his o y, no ably
ci il wa . I is wo h no ing ha a his ime mos o he publica ions we e
li e a y an hologies and ske ches o Mozambican li e a y his o ies. Gi en ha
his was so soon a e he coun y’s independence, i makes sense ha he
publica ions wished o consolida e a na ional li e a y canon.
The s udy o poe y also abounds, no ably h ough he names o Edua do
Whi e, Isaac Zi a, and José C a ei inha. The name o Mia Cou o, he mos s udied
Mozambican au ho (Table 7), does no appea in he da abase un il 1996 in he
jou nal Luso-B azilian Re iew, by a schola o Po uguese om he Uni e si y o
Massachuse s. This da a e eal he beginnings o a p ocess o consec a ion and
legi imiza ion o Cou o’s wo k on he in e na ional scene, de i ed om he
publica ion o his wo k by publishe s such as he B azilian Companhia das Le as
o he Po uguese Caminho, which published he sho s o y collec ion Vozes
Anoi ecidas in 1987 and he no el Te a Sonâmbula in 1992. Mo eo e , his is
con a y o wha o he wise is common in his pe iod (acco ding o he co pus
Table 3. O igin o Academic Jou nals
O igin o Jou nals Numbe o Jou nals
B azilian jou nals 39
Mozambican jou nals 5
Po uguese jou nals 5
F ench jou nals 5
Spanish jou nals 4
US jou nals 2
Polish jou nals 1
Sou h A ican jou nals 1
Sou ce: My p oduc ion.
204 Helena González Do al
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Table 4. Regis e ed Jou nals
Jou nal’s Name Numbe o Published A icles O igin
Via A lân ica 22 B azil
Mulemba 12 B azil
Diado im 5 B azil
Nau Li e á ia 5 B azil
C ioula 5 B azil
RILP-Re is a In eg al em Língua Po uguesa 3 B azil
Buala
11
3 Mozambique
Cade nos CESPUC 3 B azil
Na egações 3 B azil
Tempo 3 Mozambique
Luzo-B azilian Re iew 3 USA
Udwizi 2 Mozambique
Diac í ica 2 B azil
La i udes 2 F ance
I ine á ios 2 Poland
E-Sc i a 2 B azil
C í ica Cul u al-Palhoça 2 B azil
Colóquio/ Le as 2 Po ugal
Á ica- A e y Li e a u a 2 B azil
Ab iu 1 Spain
Álabe 1 Spain
Ambi alências 1 B azil
Annales. His oi e, Sciences Sociales 1 F ance
Resea ch in A ican Li e a u es 1 USA
Calig ama 1 B azil
Ce ados 1 B azil
Conexão Le as 1 B azil
Conso ium E udi 1 F ance
(Con inued)
11
We conside hese magazines/blogs (Buala and Tempo) because, wi h he pa icipa ion o
schola s o Mozambican li e a u e, hey ill an academic space in he Mozambican social space.
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Table 4. Con inued
Jou nal’s Name Numbe o Published A icles O igin
Con a Co en e 1 B azil
Fo ma B e e 1 Po ugal
G agoa á 1 B azil
G ial 1 Spain
Ho izon e 1 B azil
Ho izon es An opológicos 1 B azil
Re ue de li é a u e compa ée-Klincksieck 1 F ance
K onos 1 Sou h A ica
Le as & Le as 1 B azil
Lími e: e is a de es udios po ugueses 1 Spain
Li e a as 1 Mozambique
Li e a a 1 B azil
Moa a 1 B azil
Diogène 1 F ance
Re is a b asilei a de His o ia e Ciencias Sociais 1 B azil
Re is a PUCRS 1 B azil
Fó um Iden idades 1 B azil
Inhumanas 1 B azil
Re is a do Cen o de Es udos Po ugueses-UFMG 1 B azil
Re is a do NEPA/UFF 1 B azil
G aphos 1 B azil
Língua & Li e a u a 1 B azil
Re is a Lusó ona de Es udos Cul u ais 1 Po ugal
Sociedade e Es ado 1 B azil
Teog a ias 1 Po ugal
Te cei a Ma gem 1 B azil
Te a Roxa e Ou as Te as 1 B azil
Todas as musas 1 B azil
Ve bum 1 B azil
Sou ce: My p oduc ion.
206 Helena González Do al
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speci ic au ho s o wo ks is no equen , howe e , bu a he publica ions on
pos colonial heo y applied o he Po uguese-speaking A ican spaces, along
he lines o he p oblema iza ion o iden i ies in pos colonial s udies, he s udy
o o he ness, and hyb idism as de e mining ac o s in Mozambican li e a y
p oduc ion.
Fo ob ious cul u al and his o ical easons, non-Lusophone spaces end no o
cul i a e a special in e es in Mozambican li e a u e, bu we de ec a no able
p esence in uni e si ies o he Uni ed S a es, he Uni ed Kingdom, and, no leas ,
in Spain and F ance. This can be explained by a g ea e dedica ion o pos colonial
heo ies due o he ac ha , in he case o hese las wo coun ies, hey we e
Eu opean colonial powe s.
Conclusions and P oposals
As we ha e seen, wi hin he Lusophone in e sys em, he e is a s ong B azilian
academic in e es in Mozambican li e a y p oduc ion. By ocusing on ce ain
his o ical commonali ies, such as he consequences o coloniza ion, social
inequali ies, acism, blackness, and eminism, B azilian academics a e making
oom o Mozambican li e a u e in hei li e a y sys em. They legi imize in his
way ce ain wo ks and impo Mozambican cul u al epe oi es ha , a he same
ime, also eed in o B azil’s own cul u al in e es s.
In he case o he Po uguese academic ield, his s ill appea s dependen on
poli ical and his o ical posi ions ha may show some neocolonial echoes. The
cul u al diplomacy based on balance and dialogue be ween communi ies es ab-
lished by he CPLP is no ul illed. The sca ci y o s udies on Mozambican
li e a u e may indica e some ends o concealmen o he colonial pas ha
ha e al eady been poin ed ou by se e al schola s, such as Jo ge Dias (1995),
Edua do Lou enço (1982), o José Gil (2007), who poin o a ce ain auma ism
ha may be in e p e ed as a neocolonial melancholy in Po uguese socie y in he
ace o he loss o he colonies.
14
S ill, alluding o academic p oduc ion ou side he Lusophone in e sys em, he
s udy o Mozambican li e a u e has some p esence wi hin Eu opean (namely
Anglophone and F ancophone) and No h Ame ican pos colonial s udies, whose
hema ic endency insis s on he p oblema iza ion o iden i y and na ional
cohesion. Mo eo e , in hese e i o ies we ind he jou nals wi h he g ea es
impac and, he e o e, he g ea es capaci y o legi imize knowledge. This
supposes ha i is he Wes ha p esen s i sel as he subjec o e ing models
and epe oi es, a ac ha may lead o a ce ain dependence on Wes e n models
in he A ican coun y when i comes o acing i s na ional p oblems.
In Mozambique, he esul s show ha , in addi ion o he sca ci y o p oduc-
ion wi hin Mozambican academia, he e is a ce ain endency o depend on
14
These conside a ions a e discussed in Jo ge Dias, Os elemen os undamen ais da cul u a po uguesa
(Imp ensa nacional: Casa da Moeda, 1995); José Gil, Po ugal, Hoje: O medo de exis i (Relógio D’Água,
2007); and Edua do Lou enço, O labi in o da saudade. Psicanálise Mí ica do Des ino Po uguês (Lisboa:
Publicações Dom Quixo e, 1982).
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ex e nal academic agendas a he han hose eme ging om he in e es s and
pe spec i es o he A ican coun y i sel . The e o e, i would be aluable o
apply no ions o cul u al diplomacy o he academic wo ld, p oposing in e ac-
ions be ween Mozambican eache s and academics wi h o he s om a ious
la i udes, analyzing a ious in e es s.
Is he e, in he inal analysis, a Eu ocen ic cons an in he s udy o Mozam-
bican li e a u e? Ou esul s sugges his, he u he implica ion being ha he
p oduc ion o knowledge, despi e he decons uc i is p e ensions o pos colo-
nial s udies, con inues o be cen e ed in he Wes .
The a o emen ioned indings poin o a necessa y eo ien a ion o Eu opean
academic s udies i i wishes inally o do away wi h he Eu ocen ic and
neocolonial bias ha i ejec s on an explici le el. I is a ma e o making
way o new epis emological ca ego ies, o he awa eness ha Wes e n ca ego-
ies de e mine he pa ame e s o o A ican in ellec ual deba e, while a he same
ime denying space o oices om hese e i o ies and hus possibili ies o ha
knowledge o be legi imized. The in e es s and pe spec i es o he p ima y
sphe e o p oduc ion o hese ex s and o hose who pa icipa e, di ec ly o
indi ec ly, in he same social space as he au ho s who p oduce he ex s s udied
may hus become e iden .
In epis emological e ms, he o mula is simple and should be app oached
decisi ely in ela ion o he Mozambican li e a y p oduc ion: ask you sel wha
he in e es s o he Mozambican eading socie y a e, which can be seen e lec ed
in he same wo ks ha s uden s and esea che s p oduce. And, a li le u he on,
o open up, beyond he usual coe cions and classi ica ions o Wes e n academic
capi alism ( o example, in he publica ion in ce ain jou nals), o he audience o
A ican colleagues.
I we emain ocused on he co pus o books and magazines in ou da abases,
Mozambican academic p oduc ion on Mozambican li e a u e is ela i ely small.
Bu we can eso o o he academic sou ces ha allow us o be e illus a e he
“Mozambican agenda”in his sphe e o knowledge and allow us o be e
unde s and he pe spec i es and in e es s o which we alluded. Thus, al hough
his is no he objec o his a icle, we ha e no ed some subs an i e di e ences
when compa ing di e en co po a. Speci ically, he g adua e hesis o Edua do
Mondlane Uni e si y allow us o mi o he p io i ies o Mozambican eache s
and s uden s a he coun y’s la ges uni e si y.
As we can see in Table 9 (based on eco ds unning om 1996 un il 2013,
i.e. 186 heses in o al), he hie a chy o wo ks (and, consequen ly, o au ho s) is
no he same as he in e na ional one, wi h a p e e en ial a en ion o Ungulani
Ba Ka Khosa and Paulina Chiziane, bo h o hem black au ho s; o he e is he
wo k o Midó das Do es, A Bíblia dos P e os, o 2008, published by Índico Edi o es,
which seems o be en i ely igno ed in ci cles ou side o Mozambique.
In epis emological e ms, we should emembe ha he e is an ex e nal
endency o see Mozambican wo ks as ep esen a i e es imonies (and au ho s
as spokespe sons) o Mozambique. This is a common end, gi en ha schola s
a e conce ned wi h ex ac ing in o ma ion abou he eali y o he coun y—
some hing no usually done wi h o he Wes e n li e a y p oduc ions. The esul
may be epis emological insu iciency and he de o ma ion o he eali y ha one
214 Helena González Do al
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in ends o in es iga e—as well as he exclusion, in p ac ice, o he eali y and he
communi y ha is o be se ed by he ex s. New pe spec i es o knowledge,
econ igu a ion o eaching and he academic cu iculum in he uni e si y
sphe e, in which di ec con ac wi h o he people may be pa o lea ning
p ocesses, allied o new echnological means, and a heo e ical amewo k ha
houses he ac i e pe spec i e o he social spaces in which he p oduc ions ha
a e he objec o s udy a e inse ed may be immedia e and iable al e na i es.
Table 9. Wo ks Focused on UEM’s G adua ion Thesis
Wo k Au ho Men ions
Ualalapi Ungulani Ba Ka Khosa 16
O Sé imo Ju amen o Paulina Chiziane 8
Nike che Paulina Chiziane 8
Vozes Anoi ecidas Mia Cou o 8
ABíblia dos P e os Midódas Do es 8
Te a Sonâmbula Mia Cou o 7
Malunga e Albino Magaia 7
A Va anda do F angipani Mia Cou o 7
Nos Ma amos o Cão Tinhoso Luis Be na do Honwana 6
Po agem O lando Mendes 5
Ven os do Apocalipse Paulina Chiziane 4
Godido João Dias 4
Zambeziana-cenas de uma ida colonial Emílio de San B uno 4
Balada de Amo ao Ven o Paulina Chiziane 4
O Aleg e Can o da Pe diz Paulina Chiziane 3
Meledina (ou a his ó ia de uma p os i u a) Aldino Muianga 3
As Visi as do D . Valdez João Paulo Bo ges Coelho 3
YôMabalane Albino Magaia 3
Ka ingana ua Ka ingana José C a ei inha 2
‘As mãos dos p e os’Nelson Saú e 2
Macunaima Má io de And ade 2
Olhos B ancos de Fa inha de Milho Be ina Lopes 2
Cho i o Ungulani Ba Ka Khosa 2
Ninguem Ma ou Suhu a Lília Momplé 2
Xi ala-Ma i Aldino Muianga 2
Sou ce: My p oduc ion.
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Compe ing in e es s. None
Helena González Do al is a p edoc o al s uden in he s udy o Mozambican li e a u e and cul u e a
he Uni e si y o San iago de Compos ela. She is pa o he esea ch g oup GALABRA, which ocuses
on he s udy o Galician, Luso-B azilian, B azilian, and Po uguese-speaking A ican cul u al sys ems.
Ci e his a icle: Do al, Helena González. 2023. “The Eu ocen ic Cons an : An App oach o he S udy
o Mozambican Li e a u e.”The Camb idge Jou nal o Pos colonial Li e a y Inqui y 10, 198–216. h ps://
doi.o g/10.1017/pli.2023.6
216 Helena González Do al
h ps://doi.o g/10.1017/pli.2023.6 Published online by Camb idge Uni e si y P ess
