Episode 9: with Dr Cátia Severino on the experiences of Afro-descendant communities in Portugal in the context of the post-colonial diaspora

In our next episode from our podcast series (Re-)Shaping Europe, Gil Shohat spoke to Dr Cátia Severino from the University of Lisbon. Cátia joined our programme for the first time in Spring 2021 as a panelist, followed by a workshop-leadership on Portuguese remembrance culture in our last Autumn Seminar. A linguist by training, Cátia has been an active member of “Djass-Association of Afrodescendants” since 2017. The youngest of seven siblings, she was born in Portugal in 1976, the year her family left Angola fleeing the civil war. Her personal experience in the context of so-called “Retornados” (Returned) communities lead her to question the experiences of Afro-descendant communities in Portugal in the context of the post-colonial diaspora as well as the colonial legacy of racism and colourism in the establishment of social and cultural status and the access to Portuguese citizenship. Gil spoke to Cátia about her manifold areas of activity as well as her experience in discussing the complex case of Portuguese colonial history with a non-Portuguese workshop group at DialoguePerspectives.

We hope you enjoy the conversation!