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The path of Portugal

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Youth, Post-colonial memory and the portuguese democratic path
Youth, Post-colonial memory and the portuguese democratic path

Archival materials

Carnation Revolution:

Unarchiving Democracy:

Dictatorship & Resistance:

Related articles, events, reports

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Equator’s Escape From Lisbon to Cabo Delgado
Equator’s Escape From Lisbon to Cabo Delgado

Equator’s Escape From Lisbon to Cabo Delgado - a poem by Guilherme de Lidon Guerra

Unarchiving Democracy in Lisbon: Encounters with Memory, Voices from the Past
Unarchiving Democracy in Lisbon: Encounters with Memory, Voices from the Past

On 23–24 April 2026, Lisbon hosted “Unarchiving Democracy: Youth, Post-Colonial Memory and the Portuguese Democratic Path”, bringing together participants to engage with democratic memory through personal testimonies, expert contributions and historically significant sites. Voices such as Aurora Rodrigues, Susanne Sellnar and Maria Inácia Rezola, alongside discussions led by Luís Loureiro de Amorim and others, connected lived experience with broader reflections on dictatorship, democracy and colonial legacies. The event highlighted that democratic memory is shaped through active engagement, critical dialogue and the continuous re-examination of the past.

Unarchiving Democracy: Exploring Archives in the Fight Against Racism
Unarchiving Democracy: Exploring Archives in the Fight Against Racism

A dynamic workshop in Leiria explored how historical archives can be reinterpreted to challenge racism today, bringing together an international group of participants to connect past narratives with present social realities.

Youth, Post-colonial memory and the portuguese democratic path
Youth, Post-colonial memory and the portuguese democratic path

Portugal’s contribution draws on the country’s peaceful democratic transition and the end of its colonial empire. Through engaging with historical archives, testimonies and memory practices, participants explore both dominant and marginalised narratives of Portugal’s recent past—from resistance to dictatorship and struggles for rights to the complex legacies of colonialism and post-colonial migration.

By linking these historical experiences to contemporary challenges such as structural racism, social exclusion and the rise of far-right narratives, the Portuguese Local Path uses a participatory approach known as “unarchiving democracy”. Archives become living civic spaces for dialogue and reflection, encouraging participants to see democracy as a shared, ongoing responsibility rather than a closed chapter of history.

Further learning material

  • https://soares-europa.fmsoaresbarroso.pt/en

    The digital platform "Mário Soares and Europe" brings together previously unpublished content that deepens the understanding of Mário Soares’ role and legacy in the defence and affirmation of democratic values, unity, and cooperation within the European context.

    The platform includes:

    • Exhibitions: Two exhibitions developed by the Foundation’s team that highlight Mário Soares’ contribution to the European project.

    • Timeline: A journey through the key moments of Mário Soares’ life, with particular focus on his European engagements.

    • Bibliography: Throughout his life, Mário Soares wrote extensively. His vast and diverse body of work comprises books, reports, speeches, articles, prefaces, chronicles, and manifestos. It also features writings on Europe and publications by various authors about his thought and action.

    • Collection: A curated selection of documents, photographs, videos, and other resources related to Mário Soares and Europe, sourced from the Mário Soares Archive.

  • http://casacomum.org/cc/arquivos

    Casa Comum is the digital platform of the Mário Soares and Maria Barroso Foundation (FMSMB), created to provide public access to its cultural and archival heritage. It hosts more than 1.6 million digital objects — including documents, photographs, sound recordings, videos, and printed materials — and registers around 900,000 views annually.

    Developed as a space for memory, knowledge, and citizenship, Casa Comum brings together collections of high historical, political, social, and cultural relevance. In addition to the personal and political archives of Mário Soares, it features materials from key figures, institutions, and movements linked to the history of Portugal, Europe, the Global South, and democratic struggles throughout the 20th and 21st centuries.

    Casa Comum also reflects the Foundation’s commitment to open access, digital preservation, and support for academic research. The platform is continuously enriched through archival organisation and digitisation projects, often developed in partnership with national and international institutions.

  • http://casacomum.org/cc/guias/ms_europa

  • http://casacomum.org/cc/guias/25a

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7w2QbOb48Us

  • Documentary film Portugal: «A past in search of a future» (1978), directed by the historian Douglas L. Wheeler. (28 min) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpHQGJ0YkKs&t=628s