Events Events: Talk on "The Catholic Church and the decolonization of the Portuguese Empire", by Prof. Eric Morier-Genoud

December 11, 2021, at 3pm, at the New Bedford Whaling Museum

Please join us next December 11, 2021, at 3pm, at the New Bedford Whaling Museum, for a talk on The Catholic Church and the decolonization of the Portuguese Empire, by Prof. Eric Morier-Genoud, Hélio and Amélia Pedroso / Luso-American Foundation Endowed Chair in Portuguese Studies at UMass Dartmouth.

Click here to view the Prof. Eric Morier-Genoud talk on our Youtube channel.

The talk is also available in our Mixcloud channel.

Abstract: A pilar of the Portuguese and colonial societies, the Catholic church was deeply affected by decolonization. Favoured and yet constrained by a Concordat and missionary accord, the church faced hard choices in the 1960s just as it was updating its theology at the Second Vatican Council. The church rapidly became divided over the issue of decolonization, and by the 1970s it fractured at once. Priests, sisters, laymen and laywomen were imprisoned and individuals as well as groups of missionaries and even a bishop were expelled. Navigating a rich and complex situation, this presentation unpacks the dynamics of the church after 1945, teases out the diversity of situations and positions in Angola, Mozambique and other colonies, and offers a panorama of the politics of church and state in Portugal and its colonies right up to 1975.

Eric Morier-Genoud is a Reader in African and Imperial History at Queen’s University, Belfast. His main research interests are Religion and Politics, War and Conflict Resolution, the Portuguese-speaking world, and Southern Africa. He is a recognized leader in the field of social movements within the context of Lusophone Africa.

To register, visit: https://umassd.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_QW75HM1JQQ6d3jKgJgvHew

Face Masks are required.

For further information, contact Clara Bordas at cbordas@umassd.edu.

View the information flyer of the event.