Introduction. Europe and Africa, A Tight Embrace

This volume proposes a collection of chapters focusing on the multifaceted relation between Europe and Africa, and specific countries within the two, under the conviction that a convergence in the study of both areas is needed now more than ever. In fact, the scholarly tendency to compartmentalize knowledge according to single issues or disciplines, combined with the more general public amnesia regarding the common history shared by the two continents, have contributed, each in its own way, to set the two regions apart in academic and public debates (Hansen and Jonsson 2015; Mangala 2018). Over the centuries, Europe and Africa have instead developed a dense and complex web of political, economic, social, and cultural ties that recently have become more and more institutionalized through the joint work of international organizations, the European Union (EU), and the Africa Union (AU) in multiple fields. The tools and practices realizing such connections over time have been varied, including geographical explorations, trade, diplomacy, intellectual exchanges, overseas teaching and training programs, aid, and, last but not least, violence and conflict.