{"id":11379,"date":"2018-01-17T21:42:50","date_gmt":"2018-01-18T02:42:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/africanstudies\/?page_id=11379"},"modified":"2025-08-26T12:27:55","modified_gmt":"2025-08-26T16:27:55","slug":"2018-annual-conference-conference-festschrift-honor-professor-linda-freeman-march-1-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/africanstudies\/conferences\/2018-annual-conference-conference-festschrift-honor-professor-linda-freeman-march-1-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Solidarity and Shifting Patterns of Hegemony in Southern Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0Annual Conference | March 1 – 2, 2018<\/a><\/h3>\n

“Solidarity and Shifting Patterns of Hegemony in Southern Africa: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives.<\/h4>\n

A Conference and Festschrift in honor of Professor Linda Freeman”<\/h4>\n

Download 2018 Conference Program<\/a>\u00a0here<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Institute of African Studies at Carleton University hosted a two-day international conference on March 1\u20132, 2018, to honor the retirement of Professor Linda Freeman <\/strong><\/a>of Carleton University\u2019s Department of Political Science, one of Canada\u2019s 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<\/em>, the event served both as a festschrift<\/strong> for Professor Freeman and as a forum for critical discussions on past and present struggles in the region.<\/p>\n

Conference Overview<\/strong><\/p>\n

The conference reflected on Professor Freeman\u2019s 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<\/em>, remains the definitive account of Canada\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

To build on this legacy, the conference was structured around two central themes:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Day One<\/strong> \u2013 A critical reflection on Canadian solidarity with Southern Africa, featuring activists and participants from the Canadian anti-apartheid movement.
    \n2<\/strong>. Day Two<\/strong> \u2013 Scholarly analyses of Southern Africa\u2019s political and economic transformations in the post-liberation era, with a focus on shifting hegemonies in South Africa and Zimbabwe.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Key Questions<\/strong><\/p>\n

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

    Highlights<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Day One Roundtables<\/strong>: Activists critically assessed Canada\u2019s role in anti-apartheid and solidarity movements. These sessions are archived on the IAS YouTube channel: Day 1 Roundtables \u2013 IAS YouTube<\/a>.
    \nCanadian Anti-Apartheid Oral Histories Project<\/strong>: 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<\/a>.
    \nDay Two Academic Panels:<\/strong> Scholars examined shifting patterns of political power in Southern Africa, particularly following Robert Mugabe\u2019s departure in Zimbabwe and the leadership transition from Jacob Zuma to Cyril Ramaphosa in South Africa.<\/p>\n

    Outcomes and Legacy<\/strong><\/p>\n

    The conference not only celebrated Professor Freeman\u2019s contributions but also generated new scholarship and public resources:<\/p>\n