This book addresses whether Guinea-Bissau is a nation or a nation in formation; what the political and ideological foundations of the national liberation movement are; and how one should characterize the historical transition from a national liberation movement to a state.

Part 1: Nation or Nation in Formation 1. Social Structures in Guinea-Bissau 2. National Liberation Struggle 3. The National Question Part 2: The Mobilizing Power of Amilcar Cabral 4. Culture and the Struggle for Independence 5. The Petty Bourgeoisie and its Historic Role 6. The Independence of Guinea-Bissau Part 3: State Formation 7. The Legacy of Colonialism 8. The Historical Transition 9. New Social and Economic Structures 10. New Power Relations 11. The Coup of November 1980 12. Ethnicity and State Formation 13. The Present Contradictions of Power Part 4: The Regional Context: Africa in Struggle 14. Imperialism, Colonialism and Neocolonialism 15. The Political Turning