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.

Preface -- : Nation or Nation in Formation -- Social Structures in Guinea-Bissau -- National Liberation Struggle -- The National Question -- The Mobilizing Power of Amilcar Cabral -- Culture and the Struggle for Independence -- The Petty Bourgeoisie and its Historic Role -- The Independence of Guinea-Bissau -- : State Formation -- The Legacy of Colonialism -- The Historical Transition -- New Social and Economic Structures -- New Power Relations -- The Coup of November 1980 -- Ethnicity and State Formation -- The Present Contradictions of Power -- The Regional Context: Africa in Struggle -- Imperialism, Colonialism and Neocolonialism -- The Political Turning