Workshop - Competing Socialisms and African Agency. The Sino-Soviet Rivalry in Tanzania (Online)

This workshop is organised by the AHRC-DFG funded project of the same title, directed by Thoralf Klein (Loughborough University) and Kirsten Bönker (Northeast Institute at the University of Hamburg) in collaboration with Andrea Azizi Kifyasi (University of Dar es Salaam).

It explores a hitherto understudied aspect of Cold War History - the competition between the Soviet and Chinese models of socialism in Africa. Using Tanzania as a case study, contributions examine the connection between global and local factors and analyse tangible interactions “on the ground”, highlighting the agency of African actors and their ability to navigate between the two socialist powers and use them to their own ends.

They draw attention to the fact that in forging ties with Africa, the Soviet Union showcased its Central Asian republics as models for a successful socialist modernisation. By contrast, the People’s Republic of China's focused on its Han-majority areas in highlighting the commonalities of the Chinese and African experiences, such as the trauma of imperialism/colonialism, anti-imperialist resistance and developmental models.