The Sensory Foundations of Amílcar Cabral’s Anti-Colonial Thought: Resistance, Belonging, and the Colonial Experience

This paper explores the centrality of sensory experience in Amílcar Cabral's anti-colonial thought, with a particular focus on how the sights, sounds and textures of his homeland shaped his resistance to Portuguese colonial rule in Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau. By examining Cabral's connection to the land and his critical assimilation of colonial culture, the paper illuminates the complex interplay between the colonial imposition of sensory regimes and the embodied responses of the colonised. Through an analysis of Cabral's writings and correspondence, we examine how his sensory experiences formed the basis of his sense of belonging and resistance, making his anti-colonial movement not only a political endeavour but also a sensory revolution. This study contributes to the historical sociology of anti-colonialism by highlighting the importance of sensory and phenomenological approaches to understanding the lived experience of colonialism and the dynamics of resistance.