Social representations of history in the global south: remembering the colonial past from the margins

Abstract

In this chapter, we discuss two studies that aimed to analyse social representations of world history and national history (Study 1) and supranational history (Study 2). Study 1 was conducted among university students in six former Portuguese colonies (Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, East Timor, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique) and Study 2 was conducted among university students in Latin America (Brazil, Chile, and Mexico). In both studies we used questionnaires with open-ended questions about important events in world history and in national history (Study 1) or in the region’s history (Study 2). Despite the reference to different historical events and the existence of national and regional specificities, several common trends were noteworthy across the studies. There was a centrality of events involving political issues, conflicts and revolutions, as well as a recency effect and a sociocentric bias, replicating previous research about social representations of world history in different countries. There was also a prominence of events regarding colonization and independence issues in all samples, however this prominence was stronger concerning national or supranational history than concerning world history. The liberation narrative was predominant in the data from African countries (Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique), emphasizing the violence of colonization period and the successful struggle against it. Among Latin American participants, through an emphasis on a common narrative of struggle and overcoming difficulties, the participants shared social representations of Latin American history that may favour mobilization and resistance, challenging the stability and legitimacy of the existing social order. These findings are discussed in terms of their potential connections with present-day intergroup relations within and between world regions.