Orfalea Center Thematic Research Cluster

Resistance, Autonomy, Liberation

The members of this research cluster are fully cognizant of the fact that enslavement, colonialism and neocolonialism are global pathologies of power and exploitation that transformed the world as they traveled. As such, this cluster seeks a broad and deep time accounting of histories of resistance, quests for autonomy and struggles for self-liberation by formerly (and still, in some cases) enslaved, colonized or otherwise oppressed peoples of the world.

We ask:

What are the key philosophies of resistance, autonomy, decolonization and self-liberation?
What are some of the most crucial sites, itineraries, landscapes and models of self-liberation?
What is the nature and location of the archive of self-liberation?
What is the unfinished business of self-liberation?
What are the legacies and lessons of self-liberation?
What are the key institutions and partnerships we need to engage with or build to effectively research and teach liberation studies?

Summary of Research Resources

People: Faculty, Graduate Students, Researchers

Faculty, Graduate Students, Researchers

Partners: Global South/East Research Partnerships, Collaborators, and Public Engagements

Global South Partners Research
- Land Repossession, Autonomy, and the Global Racial Capitalist Retribution: The Case of Zimbabwe

Projects: Research Grants Won and Projects in Progress

Researching Zimbabwe Liberation Struggles – Dr. Mhoze Chikowero
- Chimurenga from the Village Base
- Interview with Abdon Yezi on the Zimbabwe War for Liberation

Publications: Policy Papers, Think Pieces, Publications by Cluster Members and Partners

Critical Publications

Teaching Resources: Syllabi, Research Training Tools, Pedagogy Models, Media for Course Use

Resistance, Autonomy, Liberation Syllabi and Suggested Readings

Research Resources: Archives, Literature Reviews, Key Theories, Data Sets, and Bibliographies

Events: Cluster Events, Lectures, Interviews, and Webinars

Nyasha Mboti, “Closing the Loophole: Apartheid Studies”
A special guest lecture by Dr. Nyashi Mboti as part of UCSB’s African Studies Series. Dr. Mboti discusses the new field he founded: Apartheid Studies. He introduces his forthcoming 4-volume treatise on the subject, Apartheid Studies: A Manifesto, which will change how we think about enslavement, colonialism, neocolonialism, impoverishment, and the exploitation and carnage of humans that has defined global history for at least half a millennium.
Azaria Mbughuni, “Tanzania and the Liberation Struggles in Southern Africa”
A special guest lecture by Dr. Azaria Mbughuni as part of UCSB’s African Studies Series. This lecture focuses on the role of Tanzania in Southern Africa’s liberation struggles and the transnational relationship of African self-liberation. Dr. Mbughuni’s guest lecture will build onto Professor Mhoze Chikowero‘s ongoing graduate seminar on African Self-Liberation.