CSIC scientists and scholars in Africa: visual, colonial, and scientific action

Abstract

This article deals with the role played by science, scientific institutions, and the administrative apparatus of Francoism in the construction of a particular version of Africanism. The Institute of African Studies, part of CSIC, was created by the Prime Minister through the General Secretary of Morocco and the Colonies. Together with them, a large group of Africanist (journalists, army officers, scholars) from the Institute of Political Studies manoeuvred in the 1940s to create a colonial institute from which to deploy scientific action in Africa. This was interpreted as a mission not only to justify their irredentist positions about Africa but also to reinforce the legitimacy of the dictatorial regime.

Keywords

• Africanism
• Colonial power
• Scientific expeditions
• Colonial science
• Visual colonialism