Desenclavar as ciências sociais na África lusófona: a Iniciativa Especial do CODESRIA

This article analyzes the Special Initiative of CODESRIA for Lusophone Africa, inserting it within the framework of the Council's efforts to combat the fragmentation of the scientific production on the continent and the danger of the isolation of certain scientific communities. Taking a historical perspective, he begins by analyzing the historical past of the social sciences in these countries, but also discusses the epistemic context in which they evolve, including the crisis in which the scarce institutions of research have been plunging themselves in the last decades, the insipience of the institutions of Higher Education and the weak participation of the State in the financing of these institutions. In this context, the challenges facing the social sciences in this field are analyzed in this African space, as well as some initiatives that have been developed countries in the field of social studies. Finally, we analyze the links between the activities of CODESRIA, the Lusophone Initiative and the integration of the Portuguese-speaking African scholars in the programs of this Council.