UCLA

This thesis investigates the intricate global political economy of race, race formation, and white supremacy in Mozambique during a significant historical period spanning the war of destabilization (1977-1992) to the execution of neoliberal policies through structural adjustment programs (1997-present). Despite the prevailing belief that race, and racism do not exist in Africa (Pierre 2013, xiii), the construction of race in Africa, particularly in Mozambique, is a product of colonial race formation. As such, Mozambique continues to occupy the bottom of the racial hierarchy in the current global white supremacist economic system. The period of colonial rule in Mozambique lasted from the late 19th century until the mid-20th century, during which the Portuguese aimed to exploit the country's resources and exert control over its population by enforcing their concepts of racial supremacy and divine entitlement to rule over the "primitive" people inhabiting the dark continent.

Additionally, this endeavor aims to scrutinize the international power system, considering the political ideologies of blackness within the context of neoliberalism and the global white dominance structure. It utilizes the informal economy/Dumbanenge as it centers around blackness. This project emphasizes Afrocentrism and places Black people at the center, highlighting the critical role of the informal economy in reflecting the local realities of gender and the political economy of race in Maputo and Beira.