TL3 – Roots and Shades: Identities, Resistances, and Dissidences

Coordination: Porfírio Pinto

In recent years, culture has been considered a transversal axis of the 2030 Agenda, as it can leverage all development policies, from the environment to communication, including education, health, tourism, etc. As such, it is a theme that cannot be absent from Research and Innovation programs: “Culture is indispensable, because it is at the heart of our history and because it paves the way for the future. […] culture defines us and is the path to freer, happier and more tolerant, sustainable and generous societies” (Cáceres Declaration, September 2023).

The thematic line Roots and Shades: identities, resistances, dissidences presents a broad multidisciplinary approach, taking advantage of the strengths of the CEG researchers, whose interests range from environmental sciences to religious sciences. The title Roots and Shades refers naturally to Portuguese and European cultural roots, which give shape to the identity of the societies that make up Europe, but also to the multiple avatars that they have adopted throughout history. Such avatars are quite different if we consider the centuries of the medieval period, the movements of proto-globalization at the beginning of Modernity, or contemporary nationalisms. Identities, resistances, dissidences refer, in turn, to the diversity of these expressions, from identitarian to oppositional. In the case of the latter, let us remember the religious dissidences, which led to confrontation among European countries, the resistance and struggle movements in the Global South or the demonstrations of opposition to the phenomenon of globalization.

Due to the transversality of the cultural theme, the Roots and Shades line works in close collaboration with all CEG groups and lines, in areas as diverse as environment and sustainability, education, entrepreneurship, history, literature, politics and religion. It is very important to join forces and develop concerted strategies to respond satisfactorily to the Center’s main objective: the correct understanding of the processes and dynamics of globalization. Specifically, in relation to this line, it is also important to reflect on the challenges that the phenomenon of globalization poses in relation to both cultural diversity within a society and the cultural identity of peoples and nations.