Portuguese Culture

Objectives

1. To reflect about the concepts of Culture and National Culture.

2. To deepen the understanding of the History of Portuguese Culture.

3. To deepen the knowledge about the origins of nationality.

4. To know the various thesis about the origins of Portuguese nationality.

5. To deepen and to reflect upon the different stands, during the nineteenth century, about the future of Portugal, namely the ones from the Geração de 70, and to think of their relationship with contemporary times.

6. To develop the capacity to link knowledge and to motivate critical thinking.

Program

1. Introduction.

1.1 The concept of Culture and its applications to the Hist. of Portuguese Culture.

1.2 Brief chronological review of the Hist. of Portugal.

2. The genesis of nationality.

2.1 “Como nasceu Portugal” (Damião Peres): theses of the origins of the Portuguese Nation and the progressive affirmation of its uniqueness (José Mattoso). The Lusitanian origins and the political and military affirmation in S. Mamede in 1128. Afonso Henriques in the light of myth. The God of Ourique and the Portuguese people’s feeling of predestination. The polemics over the “milagre de Ourique”. Pascoaes and Ourique.

2.2 O bobo by Alexandre Herculano: patriotic novel or fictional depiction of Herculano’s thesis on the emergence of Portugal.

3. The Geração de 70, the ideals of revolution, of social justice and of the Europeanization of Portugal.

3.1. The Casino Lisbonense conferences.

3.2. The Portuguese character, Portugal and Europe in the works of Eça de Queirós.

Teaching Methodologies

Classes will be theoretical-practical, with a part destined to exposition and a practical part in which there will be in-depth discussion of the texts being commented. During the one-on-one time allotted to students, they will be helped in order to facilitate the learning process, namely by clarifying issues and by providing them with guidelines about study and research methods as well as the best way to carry out scientific academic papers.

Bibliography

COELHO, Jacinto do Prado (1992), A originalidade da literatura portuguesa, Lisboa, Biblioteca Breve/ICLP.

COELHO, Maria Teresa Pinto (2000), «Oliveira Martins e Eça de Queiroz: a visão da história portuguesa», in Alexandre Campos Matos (coord. E org.), Suplemento ao Dicionário de Eça de Queiroz, Lisboa, Caminho; pp. 451-457.

MACHADO, Álvaro Manuel (1986), A Geração de 70 – Uma revolução cultural e literária, 3ª ed., Lisboa, Biblioteca Breve – Instituto de Cultura e Língua Portuguesa.

MARQUES, A. H. de Oliveira (1984-1986), História de Portugal, 3 vols., Lisboa, Palas Editores.

PERES, Damião (1992), Como nasceu Portugal, 10ª ed., Porto, Vertente.

PIRES, António Machado (1992), A ideia de decadência na Geração de 70, 2ª ed., Lisboa, Vega.

REIS, Carlos (1990), As Conferências do Casino, Lisboa, Alfa.

SARAIVA, António José (1996), A tertúlia ocidental. Estudos sobre Antero de Quental, Oliveira Martins, Eça de Queiroz e outros, 2ª ed. revista, Lisboa, Público/Gradiva.