Postcolonial Socialisms in Africa

Activity Type: 
Lecture
Presenter: 
Priya Lal
Date: 
Thursday, February 27, 2020 - 16:00 to 17:30
Event Status: 
As Scheduled
Location: 
211 David Lawrence Hall
Contact Person: 
Sera Passerini
Contact Email: 
smp125@pitt.edu

Shortly after independence, Julius Nyerere, the first President of Tanzania, embarked on a socialist experiment: the ujamaa, the villagization initiative of 1967-1975. Ujamaa, or "familyhood" in Swahili, both invoked established socialist themes and departed from the existing global repertoire of development policy by seeking to reorganize the Tanzanian countryside into communal village to achieve national development. This live interview with Priya Lal will discuss how ujamaa was envisioned and unfolded in Tanzania and how that experience spoke to particularities of African socialisms, nation building and development in the 1960s and 1970s.

This event is part of the Socialism: Past, Present, and Future Pop-Up Course.

UCIS Unit: 
Center for African Studies
Asian Studies Center
Center for Latin American Studies
Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies
European Studies Center
Global Studies Center
Other Pitt Sponsors: 
Humanities Center
World History Center
Is Event Already in University Calendar?: 
Yes