The Return

Memory and Trauma in the Portuguese Decolonization

Abstract

The essay examines O Retorno by Dulce Maria Cardoso (2013), which portrays the experience of Portuguese returnees after the independence of Angola and the Carnation Revolution. The narrative, led by the young Rui, exposes the traumatic impact of the collapse of the Portuguese colonial empire, exploring the connections between fiction and history. The author uses fiction to recreate events of decolonization, addressing individual and collective traumas. Based on the theoretical reflections of Linda Hutcheon, Márcio Seligmann-Silva, and Marianne Hirsch, mainly on the concepts of memory and testimonial literature, the essay reflects on the sense of belonging and the processes of decolonization. It concludes that the work bears witness to and deconstructs the complexities of the colonial and post-colonial world, profoundly marking Portuguese cultural memory.