This seminar will bring together both established and new scholars in the field of Southern African studies in the 1970s and 1980s – an era in which the sub-continent became a cauldron of the Cold War. Drawing upon individual current research projects, it will address Portuguese/British relations over the long-running Rhodesian UDI crisis; the Angolan civil war; the Namibian independence struggle; Soviet, American and South African involvement in the regional liberation wars; as well as the Cuban agenda and contribution to the anti-imperialist struggle on the African continent. We are looking for papers based on multi-archival research on other aspects of the Cold War in Southern Africa in the 1970s, addressing both structure and agency. Topics might include

o intelligence/military operational studies
o propaganda and media manipulation
o the role of multinational corporations and NGOs
o non-alignment
o migrations and the diaspora
o gender studies (the role and impact of armed struggle)
o the role of leadership
o religion and liberation movements
o mobilization and organisation
o the role of white minorities/settler communities (in the context of Portuguese decolonisation in Angola and Mozambique)

Papers from post-graduate researchers are particularly welcome. Please send abstracts of proposals (250-300 words) to Dr Sue Onslow (s.onslow@lse.ac.uk) by 1 December 2008.

The Cold War Studies Centre/IDEAS, the London School of Economics and The Institute for International Relations, Lisbon.