Youth, Post-colonial memory and the portuguese democratic path

Guide book >> Portuguese Path

Portugal’s contribution builds on its unique experience of a peaceful democratic transition combined with the end of a colonial empire. The Carnation Revolution of 1974 not only ended decades of dictatorship, but also initiated a profound political, social and cultural transformation whose legacies continue to shape Portuguese society today.

Through work with historical archives, testimonies and memory practices, participants engage with both dominant and marginalised narratives of Portugal’s recent past. These include stories of resistance to dictatorship, struggles for political and social rights, and the complex legacies of colonialism and post-colonial migration. 

At the same time, the path connects these historical processes to contemporary challenges such as structural racism, post-colonial inequalities, social exclusion and the rise of far-right narratives across Europe. 

A key element of the path is its participatory and educational approach, referred to as “unarchiving democracy”. Participants work directly with archival sources and cultural heritage materials and are invited to question, reinterpret and activate them through dialogue and creative expression. This process transforms archives from static repositories into civic spaces for reflection, debate and engagement, enabling participants to see history not as something closed or distant, but as something alive, contested and relevant.

Through this combination of memory work, archival engagement and non-formal education, the Portuguese Local Path encourages participants to connect past struggles with present responsibilities and to reflect on how democratic awareness, civic responsibility and solidarity can be strengthened in today’s Europe.