When Empire Ends: Fascism, (Post)colonial and Religious Entanglements in the Horn of Africa (1941-58)

The end of colonial rule in non-Western countries determined a reconfiguration of the role of the Catholic Church in mission areas. This process had already started during the Second World War and was intertwined with the construction of a new geopolitical order after the conflict which resulted, among others, in the Cold War, the struggle against communism and the rise of nationalist movements. However, certain power dynamics between Western countries and the former colonies continued beyond the end of colonial rule so that it could be questioned if the collapse of the empire really signalled the end of colonialism.

Taking as the starting point the events that occurred in the Italian colonies of the Horn of Africa, and the connections between the Catholic Church and the fascist regime, this research project aims to uncover in particular the role played by the Vatican and missionary work in the transition from fascist rule to postcolonialism during the pontiff of Pius XII (1939-1958).

Keywords: #Italian East Africa, #fascism, #imperialism, #settler colonialism, #(post)colonialism, #fascist legacies, #colonial mentalities, #decolonisation, #Catholicism, #Catholic missions, #religion

Researcher
Dr. Maria Bonaria Urban (KNIR)