Class Lusophone Space

The aim of this curricular unit is the study of the relations between Portuguese-speaking peoples and nations, institutionalized through the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP). This study is all the more relevant as, in addition to the institutionalization of this community, the investigation into the most important dimensions of those relationships (political, cultural, social, economic) highlights: (a) the convergence of interests in the relations between peoples and nations from Portuguese-speaking countries; (b) the divergence about the possible ways to strengthen those relationships. In this context, the development of this curricular unit aims to provide students with the context and conceptual tools to critically understand the Lusophone space, and its multiple actors and formal and informal institutions. 

Not applicable

Origins and historical context Lusophone space: a transnational, pluricontinental and polycentric space for linguistic, geopolitical, cultural, social and economic encounters. Colonial, neocolonial and postcolonial perspectives on the Lusophone space: pan-Lusitanism, Lusobrasileirism and Lusotropicalism. Mutual recognition, dialogue, cooperation. Converging and divergent cross-narratives: memory, literature and cinema. International Lusophone relations. Linguistic, geopolitical, cultural and scientific policies. Institutional organization of the Portuguese-speaking space: CPLP, Instituto Camões. Challenges in the Lusophone Space: the conflict between national and Lusophone interests; asymmetries in the integration of Portuguese-speaking countries in different international contexts and organizations; the discontinuity between the political order and the cultural order.

  The presentation of the syllabus in theoretical-practical classes is done through excerpts from bibliographies and audiovisual media, case studies, and debates. The assessment is continuous and students must attend the classes: Assessment test 50% Exercises in class 20% Oral presentation 30% Students who obtain a grade below 9.5 in the continuous assessment must take the final exam.

   Charchalis, W. (2019). Lusophony – among myth, history and future. Studia Romanica Posnaniensia, 46(3), 95–104. https://doi.org/10.14746/strop.2019.463.006 Figueira, C. (2017). Cultural policy between and beyond nation-states: The case of lusofonia and the Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa. In V. Durrer, T. Miller, & D. O’Brien (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of global cultural policy. London: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315718408 Pinto, A. C. (2001). O fim do império português. Lisboa: Livros Horizonte. Salgado, S. (2012). The Web in African countries. Information, Communication & Society, 15(9), 1373–1389. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2011.647044 Thomaz, L. F. F. R. (2021). A expansão portuguesa: Um prisma de muitas faces. Lisboa: Gradiva.