LAUSR

Abstract This article examines how Amílcar Cabral’s anticolonial thought contributes to contemporary debates on decolonization in education, particularly regarding tensions between epistemic and land-based approaches. Drawing on recent scholarship on Cabral’s work, I argue that his ‘synergistic’ approach, which integrates critical humanism with anticolonial politics and environmental concerns, offers valuable insights for balancing epistemic priorities with material transformation in educational decolonization efforts. Central to this argument is Cabral’s conceptualization of ‘caring for the soil,’ informed by his background in agronomy and his analysis of colonialism’s impact on human and non-human relations. This framework helps bridge the divide between approaches prioritizing epistemic transformation and those emphasizing land repatriation to Indigenous peoples. The article demonstrates how Cabral’s attention to human-soil relations provides a theoretical, political, and practical pathway for educational institutions to pursue decolonization efforts that recognize the inseparability of epistemic and material dimensions, while maintaining commitment to both forms of transformation.