Portuguese and Spanish colonial press in Africa: memories, politics, and practices of Iberian colonization

Abstract

The press was one of the means that European colonial regimes in Africa used to represent places and populations and to support colonial occupation practices and politics. The producers and receivers of the messages were diverse and the press was key not only in building the images of the colonial world, but especially in producing the kind of knowledge that consolidated the domination and subalternization of the colonized societies. In this frame, we need to consider documents and texts of colonial press as creators of the colonial system and of the relations of power held by it. Through the analysis of official bulletins and means published by other colonial actors, such as religious congregations and colonialist associations, it is possible to rebuilt the memories of the leading figures of colonial history, to study the politics and practices that sustained the regimes, or to identify the events and agents who were considered as a threat to the colonial status quo. The subject of the panel is Spanish and Portuguese cultural heritage in Africa made by newspapers, magazines, means of propaganda, and documentation produced by colonial authorities during the 20th century. The panel presents case studies on the implementation of colonial practices and politics, on the colonial daily life, and on the representation of colonial subjects. It also presents a comparative study of colonial practices in the Spanish and Portuguese overseas territories.