Solidarity and Shifting Patterns of Hegemony in Southern Africa

Annual Conference | March 1 – 2, 2018

“Solidarity and Shifting Patterns of Hegemony in Southern Africa: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives.

A Conference and Festschrift in honor of Professor Linda Freeman”

Download 2018 Conference Program here

The Institute of African Studies at Carleton University hosted a two-day international conference on March 1–2, 2018, to honor the retirement of Professor Linda Freeman of Carleton University’s Department of Political Science, one of Canada’s most astute observers of southern Africa and on Canadian relations with the region over the last 40 years. Entitled Solidarity and Shifting Patterns of Hegemony in Southern Africa: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives, the event served both as a festschrift for Professor Freeman and as a forum for critical discussions on past and present struggles in the region.

Conference Overview

The conference reflected on Professor Freeman’s wide-ranging scholarship, which has shaped Canadian understanding of Southern Africa for more than four decades. Her influential 1997 book, The Ambiguous Champion: Canada and South Africa in the Trudeau and Mulroney Years, remains the definitive account of Canada’s policy toward South Africa during the liberation struggle. More recently, her research has focused on the post-liberation political economy of South Africa and Zimbabwe.

To build on this legacy, the conference was structured around two central themes:

Day One – A critical reflection on Canadian solidarity with Southern Africa, featuring activists and participants from the Canadian anti-apartheid movement.
2. Day Two – Scholarly analyses of Southern Africa’s political and economic transformations in the post-liberation era, with a focus on shifting hegemonies in South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Key Questions

– What were the promises and blind spots of Canadian solidarity movements?
– How might these experiences inform present and future forms of solidarity?
– In the wake of leadership changes in Zimbabwe and South Africa, what possibilities exist for political renewal and stability?

Highlights

Day One Roundtables: Activists critically assessed Canada’s role in anti-apartheid and solidarity movements. These sessions are archived on the IAS YouTube channel: Day 1 Roundtables – IAS YouTube.
Canadian Anti-Apartheid Oral Histories Project: In conjunction with the conference, oral history interviews were conducted with Canadian activists who had supported Southern African liberation struggles. These interviews are now available online: Canadian Anti-Apartheid Oral Histories Project.
Day Two Academic Panels: Scholars examined shifting patterns of political power in Southern Africa, particularly following Robert Mugabe’s departure in Zimbabwe and the leadership transition from Jacob Zuma to Cyril Ramaphosa in South Africa.

Outcomes and Legacy

The conference not only celebrated Professor Freeman’s contributions but also generated new scholarship and public resources:

Publication: A co-edited volume, New Leaders, New Dawns? South Africa and Zimbabwe under Cyril Ramaphosa and Emmerson Mnangagwa (McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2022), was published based largely on presentations from Day Two. Learn more about the book here
Videotaped Roundtables: Recordings from Day One remain accessible on the IAS YouTube page for research and teaching purposes.