Identity and as Retornadas: Confronting National Discourse Through Literary Works that Address Portugal’s Colonial Past 公开
Tefft, Gwyneth (Spring 2021)
Published
Abstract
This Honors Thesis explores challenges to modern-day Portuguese identity, where I approach Portugal’s troubling colonial history through both scholarly and fictional literary sources. The primary focus of this thesis is a literary investigation of fictional works written by a particular group of people: retornadas. The retornados are the Portuguese settlers who lived in the African colonies and ‘returned’ to Portugal after the fall of the colonial empire in 1974. From a critical analysis of Caderno de Memórias Coloniais
(2009), by Isabela Figueiredo, O Retorno (2011), by Dulce Maria Cardoso and Os Pretos de Pousaflores (2011), by Aida Gomes, this thesis will demonstrate that retornados offer a unique and valuable lens through which to examine Portugal’s past. A focus on the collective memories of these people, in contrast to an objective historical account, allows for a profound exploration of particular emotions and experiences the retornados faced during the colonial era and onward, contributing to an overall understanding of Portuguese national identity. Specifically, female retornadas perspectives provide a decisive approach to gendered experiences in the colonies that is attentive to the hardships women faced. These women authors tackle some of the most important themes in recent literary investigation and discourse in Portugal, such as race, gender, sense of belonging and colonial legacy, which are crucial in a comprehensive understanding of identity. Retornados simultaneously represent a dark history with colonialism and a rich diversity of thought and culture. Their reputation within society has fluctuated, and while some deem them racist colonial oppressors, others point to them as being victims of prejudices in Portugal. Engaging in these contrasting points of view will provide insight into the most difficult issues of Portugal’s past, thus enabling a deeper understanding of the complexities that comprise society today. In this way, literature written by retornadas forces Portugal to directly confront its problematic history by exposing memories of a past that has been intentionally repressed and forgotten.
Table of Contents
Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………….........…..1
Methodology…………………………………………………………………...........……………4
Language…………………………………………………………………………...........………..7
Theoretical Framework: Nexus Between History and Fiction……………………………8
Chapter 1: A Clash between Past and Present: Portugal’s Troubling Colonial History and
Implications for the Modern National Discourse………………………………………………...12
Introduction………………………………………………………………………….........……12
Overview of Early Portuguese Colonialism…………………………………………...…..15
The Age of Assault…………………………………………………………….........…15
Slavery………………………………………………………………………...........…...18
Christianity……………………………………………………………….........……….19
Shift towards African Colonies……………………………………….....…………..20
Late Colonialism………………………………………………………………….........………23
Forced Labor Continues…………………………………………………......……….23
Salazar Regime: Portuguesation of Africa………………………………..……….24
‘Luso-Tropicalism’……………………………………………………………............27
Salazar Regime: Racialized Exploitation………………………………..………...30
The Beginning of the End: The Liberation Movement and Colonial War………...…33
International Scrutiny………………………………………………………......…….33
Liberation Movements…………………………………………………….......……...35
The Fall of the Portuguese Empire………………………………………………......………36
The Carnation Revolution and Colonial Wars………………………………….....36
Transition to Democracy………………………………………………………........…37
Conclusions………………………………………………………………………..........……....38
Chapter 2: The Retornados………………………………………………………………….......……40
Introduction………………………………………………………………….........……...…….40
The ‘Return’…………………………………………………………………………...........…...41
Post-Colonial Portugal: Themes and Attitudes………………………………..…………..48
Reconciling the Past……………………………………………………………...........48
Challenges to Portugal’s National Identity……………………………..………....49
Challenges to Retornado Identity…………………………………………….....…..50
The Silence………………………………………………………………….........…......53
Isabela Figueiredo, Dulce Maria Cardoso and Aida Gomes…………………......55
Conclusions…………………………………………………………………………............……59
Chapter 3: Retornadas in the Literature: Challenges to National Identity………………...…61
Introduction……………………………………………………………………………............…61
Contesting ‘Luso-Tropic’ Thinking About Race………………………………….....……...68
Racism………………………………………………………………………..............……68
Miscegenation…………………………………………………………............…………73
Gender Discrimination in a Deeply Inequitable Society……………………..…………...75
Toxic Masculinity……………………………………………………………...........…..76
Women: Obedience and Submission……………………………………......……….77
The Clash Between Nationality and Sense of Belonging…………………………..……..80
Adjusting to Life in Portugal………………………………………………….........…80
Longing for the Past……………………………………………………….........……...83
Colonial Legacy as a Challenge to Portuguese Identity………………………...…………85
Conclusions…………………………………………………………………………...........…....88
Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………............…...……..91
Bibliography………………………………………………………………………………............……..96
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