International Conference

Portugal between Disquiets and Challenges

February 17th and 18th, 2011

School of Economics, University of Coimbra

 

Information on the conference's program

Information related to the presentation of papers and posters.


   
The Conference Portugal Entre Desassossegos e Desafios [Portugal between Disquiets and Challenges] intends to discuss Portugal’s current condition, based on a reflective and prospective balance about the transformations that have been shaping the country’s internal situation and its international integration. The changes occurred since the Revolution of April 25th, 1974, on the democratization, decolonization, European integration and socioeconomic modernization background, are felt at two combined levels. On one hand, at the internal level, Portugal’s fast economic and cultural modernization has been followed by deep changes to individuals and social groups’ life conditions and standards. New roles, opportunities and life expectations arise, as well as new inequality, segmentation and social exclusion patterns. On the other hand, at the external level, under the effects of globalization acceleration processes, the end of colonial presence and the accession to European Union, Portugal has been setting new international alignments. This framework gives rise to new and heterogeneous models of relationship with Portuguese-speaking countries and former colonies. The in-depth understanding of how Portugal has been readjusting itself to this new environment is a key aspect to understand the Portuguese society. As such, we also have to understand how that relationship is experienced and projected within those other spaces and how, in that relational web, perceptions and imaginaries about the multiple “us” and “others”, which constitute identities, and political and symbolic power configurations, are reinvented. The analysis of contemporary Portugal has to be done with reference to the connections established, in a heterogeneous and altered way, within those two levels: internal and external. This is the challenge which this Conference intends to answer, mobilizing the critical mass and knowledge resulting from the interdisciplinary research gathered in the past years, in and out of Portugal, in order to reflect on the country’s present and future perspectives, considering its plurality. The conference’s program will be divided into 3 plenary sessions 4 semi-plenary thematic sessions, debates of which will arise from the guest speakers’ interventions, as well as paper presentation sessions.