O The Colonial Exile and its Ghosts (Memories, Figurations and Absences)

Abstract

The present paper addresses colonial exile. I will analyze different topics of the experience of the Portuguese sent into exile in the colonial prison of Tarrafal, in Cape Verde, between 1936 and 1954, as expressed in their written memories. I will start by broadly presenting the historical genealogy of colonial exile under Salazar’s regime (known as the “New State”, or “Estado Novo”). Then, based on the written memories produced by the exiled, I will emphasize some relevant elements, namely the description of spaces, references to the colonial situation, perceptions of the native population as well as the perception of colonial difference.