Visions of Liberation: African Decolonization Now?

If, as many African thinkers contend, the acquisition of formal national independence did not signify liberation, it is necessary to imagine decolonization now. In “Visions of Liberation,” we will examine ideas, particularly those of Césaire and Fanon, that have shaped decolonial thinking in Africa. What is the contemporary relevance of notions of freedom imagined by thinkers of the early and mid-twentieth century? How have postcolonial and post-apartheid writers conceived of freedom? What does it mean to call Mali a “postcolony” or “neocolony,” or to state that South Africa is not postcolonial? Previous knowledge of the topic is not required.