IV-3. Educational Cooperation among Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe: Alliances that Strengthened the Decolonization of Africa

Convener: Maria Paula Meneses (Coimbra University, Portugal); e-mails: menesesp@fe.uc.pt, mpmeneses@gmail.com

Profound political transformations have shaped the world since World War II, symbolizing the emergence of the Third World / Global South aspiration to self-determination. An important element that characterizes this struggle is the emergence of new education projects in Africa, projects involving various actors and concepts. Education became fundamental in shaping the role of Third World countries in the context of the Cold War. It also symbolized a new space of economic and cultural cooperation between Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe, and the support and solidarity with the struggle for decolonization have shaped the world since Bandung. Indeed, one of the key moments that signals the emergence of the Third World was the growing opposition to the colonial situation worldwide, a political position that received support in 1955, at the Asia-Africa Conference in Bandung, an event that facilitated the formation of the non-aligned movement (1961). This reality was fundamental for the takeoff of the transition processes that lead to the African independences in the 1960s. An important moment of these new political alliances were the scientific-educational exchanges between African, Asian and Eastern Europe, a less studied front of the Cold War world. This panels aims to bring together contributions that a) discuss various aspects of the multidimensional cooperation strengthening its impact in educational public policies in Africa and b) contribute towards strengthening the discussion of the meaning of ‘decolonization’, taking how perceptions about Africa changed dramatically (regional and globally) from the anti-colonial solidarity across Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe. The main goal of this panel is to contribute towards the discussion of the meaning of decolonization across the Global South.