Acknowledgements

This book is the product of a collective effort, and we are deeply grateful to the many individuals who contributed to its development. It began with a symposium, held online from 24 to 27 May 2021, and supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, which brought together scholars studying colonial land legacies in the Portuguese-speaking world. We are deeply grateful to all who participated and shared their insights.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Tania Murray Li, whose keynote address at the symposium provided a crucial intellectual foundation for this volume. Her willingness to contribute a foreword to this book has further enriched its scope and depth. Ricardo Roque’s provocative closing remarks at the symposium challenged us to think more critically about the themes of land, colonialism, and continuity, and we are grateful for his afterword, which provides an incisive reflection on the contributions in this volume.

The discussions at the symposium were sharpened by the engaged participation of our readers, including Susana Matos Viegas (Instituto de Ciências Sociais–University of Lisbon), Matthew Mitchell (University of Saskatchewan), and David Webster (Bishop’s University). Their thoughtful feedback helped shape the papers that have now become chapters in this book. We also wish to acknowledge the invaluable support of Jessica Jack and Michelle Gowan, graduate students at the University of Saskatchewan, who helped organize and run the symposium. Additionally, Michelle Gowan’s work in recording the Lusophone Land Legacies podcasts played an important role in extending our conversations beyond the symposium itself.

Our sincere thanks go to Rui Pinto for his map-making skills, which have greatly enhanced the visual clarity of this volume. We are also grateful to Max Pospisil, graduate student at the University of Saskatchewan, whose careful attention to detail in converting notes and footnotes of draft chapters ensured the clarity and coherence of this volume. Brian Scrivener and the editorial team at University of Calgary Press embraced this project with enthusiasm, and we deeply appreciate their commitment to its publication. We also extend our gratitude to our external reviewers, for their insightful comments, which helped refine this edited volume. Our thanks also to Ryan Perks, who provided meticulous copyediting, helping to refine and polish the final text, and to Laura Atkinson for her invaluable administrative support.

A book like this is, above all, shaped by its contributors, and we extend our deepest gratitude to all the authors who participated in the symposium and contributed their work to this edited volume. Their scholarship, dedication, and collegiality have made this book possible.

Finally, we would like to express our appreciation to friends and colleagues who generously read draft papers and provided nuanced feedback, and to our families for their patience and support.

This book is a testament to the power of collaboration, and we are fortunate to have had such a dedicated and thoughtful group of scholars, colleagues, and friends contribute to its realization.