The conference seeks to open up new areas of research and new conversations on this topic which, in spite of its historical significance as a key strategy of the liberation movements over many years and carrying a lot of weight in the lives of thousands of people, has remained difficult to document and understand, not least because of its sensitive nature and associated secrecy. One of the conference’s key aims is to provide a space for recounting narratives of the armed struggle from the perspective of its protagonists. A second aim is to make an intellectual contribution to the historiography of the liberation struggle by generating original research and developing new questions and ideas on the armed struggle. Thirdly, the conference aims to foreground the regional dimension of the armed struggle in southern Africa and the reciprocal influence of struggles in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Mozambique and Angola.

The conference will start on the evening of Wednesday 23rd November and conclude on the evening of Friday 25th November. It will take the form of public dialogues, roundtable discussions, paper presentations and cultural events. Key speakers include Piero Gleijeses, Dumiso Dabengwa, Ayanda Dlodlo, Thenjiwe Mthintso, Jocelyn Alexander, Vladimir Shubin, Mandla Langa, Raymond Suttner, Ronnie Kasrils, Pallo Jordan, Mac Maharaj, Terry Bell, Thula Simpson, Robert Vinson, Hugh MacMillan and many others.

For more information and to register to attend the conference go to Armed Struggle Conference