Sociology in Portugal. A Short History (original) (raw)

Generators of sociological production in Portugal: An empirically illustrated interpretation

After a half century of history, sociological investigation in Portugal has entered a phase of advanced institutionalisation that is complete and with all the characteristics of an increasingly internationalised scientific field. The generators of sociological production – ‘socio-cultural generator’ and ‘socio-political generator’ – which consist of specific combinations of protagonists, themes and styles of sociology – have contributed to this process of institutionalisation that has been consolidated during the past two decades. These two generators are not responsible for all sociological output in Portugal, but they are responsible for the greater and more influential part. This article, then, provides a characterisation and comparative analysis of these generators, including the reciprocal citation patterns employed by their researchers.

Contemporary Portugal: politics, society and culture (2nd edition)

2011

Portugal has undergone a significant process of change during the last years. It has seen political transformation, marked by the end of 48 years of dictatorial rule and the consolidation of democracy. Economic and social change has taken place with Portugal, once a backward and socially underdeveloped country, becoming a developed nation. The aim of this book is to present an introduction to that process of change and to examine it as part of the evolution of Portuguese politics and society since the beginning of the twentieth century. Written by historians, sociologists, political scientists and specialists in literature and art, this book seeks to provide specialists, students and general readers a global view of contemporary Portugal. Essays written by Portuguese academics explore a broad spectrum of topics: the colonial empire, international relations, economic development, social change, gender issues, democratic consolidation, Portugal and the European Union, issues of national identity and a review of Portuguese contemporary literature and art. This edition has already its longue durée. It was during my stay as a Visiting Professor at Stanford University during 1992-1993, that I accepted the challenge of Peter Stansky, who was at that time a Professor in the Department of History, to produce the first book, xiii Preface and Acknowledgements I would also like to acknowledge the support of the Institute of Social Science, University of Lisbon and to thank Stewart Lloyd-Jones and Claudia Almeida for their invaluable assistance in editing the book to very tight deadlines.

Contemporary Portugal. Politics, society and culture

2011

Portugal has undergone a significant process of change during the last 40 years. It has seen political transformation, marked by the end of 48 years of dictatorial rule and the consolidation of democracy. Economic and social change has taken place with Portugal, once a backward and socially underdeveloped country, becoming a devel- oped nation.The aim of this book is to present an introduction to that process of change and to examine it as part of the evolution of Portuguese politics and society since the beginning of the twentieth century. Written by historians, sociologists, political scientists and special- ists in literature and art, this book seeks to provide specialists, students and general readers a global view of contemporary Portugal. Essays written by Portuguese academics explore a broad spectrum of topics: the colonial empire, international relations, economic development, social change, gender issues, democratic consolidation, Portugal and the European Union, issues of national identity and a review of Por- tuguese contemporary literature and art.

The history of sociology as a field of research and some recent trends in Brazilian social thought

The article lays the foundation for a dialog between scholars of Brazilian social thought and historians of sociology as a discipline. In order to achieve this objective, I analyze recent developments in the field of the history of sociology, highlighting the incorporation of historiographic methods and the emergence of a transnational approach, which points toward a global history of the discipline. I criticize the Eurocentric limits of this field and argue that recent research trends in the area of Brazilian social thought can help overcome this limitation. Finally, I briefly analyze the obstacles that impede this dialog and indicate possible strategies for overcoming them.

Revolutionary or Mild Mannered? Social Movements and Social Movements Studies in Portugal

On 25 April 1974 the Portuguese New State, in force for forty years, was overthrown by a peaceful military coup led by the Armed Forces Movement (MFA). 1 Th e MFA presented a democratising programme that included the establishment of a civilian government and free elections. After more than a decade of war on various fronts in Africa, the military also initiated a process of de-colonisation that quickly culminated in the granting of independence to the former colonial peoples. Th is event not only represented a social and political rupture and a founding moment but it also fl ung open the gates to the development of various fi elds of studies in Portugal in the areas of sociology , political science and history, which had been censured and held back during the dictatorship. Following well-founded studies in modern history and with a Marx-ian approach, the fi eld of the social and economic history of Portugal was brought to light, after being set aside for many years in favour of a history aimed at glorifying Portugal's magnitude, especially the history of its discoveries. Th e generation of scholars exiled and trained in various countries, notably France, who returned to Portugal after the revolution, were of special relevance in this process. Groundbreaking work on the agrarian issue, the introduction of capitalism, the emergence of the proletariat and the class struggles in Portugal, among other events, began to appear in publications, and social confl ict was for the fi rst time at the centre of the offi cial academic research agenda in Portugal. 2 On the other hand, the Portuguese revolution not only opened up the possibility of studies on the role of social confl ict and class struggle in the country's history, which had of course been completely absent during the dictatorship, but it also ended up becoming a new fi eld of research in which social movements theory was applied for the fi rst time. Th is chapter will begin with an overview of these studies, before turning to the research on pat

Portugal

Worlds of Work, 2002

A propose for this article is to present information on the emergence of the knowledge field of sociology of work and labor studies in Portugal. The period of 1974-1984 produced an interesting bibliography in the fields of social stratification, labor conflicts and social history. However, and since the mid-1980s, significant changes have emerged. There took place an increased theoretical diversity and also there was a major preoccupation with the development of a more professional teaching of the discipline. At this time, the first graduated specialists in Sociology appeared in the labor market since 1980, working in municipalities, industrial firms, public health institutions, schools, or even in research and development (R&D) units. The Portuguese association in this field (APSIOT) organized many scientific meetings, debates with unionists, managers and politicians, beside the regular publication of review "Organizações e Trabalho" (Organization and Work) since 1989. It started the diffusion of a professional culture of sociologists who associate science and their occupation concerning themselves not only with scientific quality, but also with technical competence and social responsibility. At the same time, one could assist to the participation of sociologists in the social and organizational molding of new technologies in order to promote alternative production systems.