Portuguese Geography in the Democratic Era [1974-2010]

A historical outline and summary of the first decades of democracy in geography and geographers in Portugal

Abstract

This is a historical sketch evocative of the first 35 years of geography and geographers in democratic Portugal, presented at the opening session of the XII Iberian Geography Colloquium, Porto, (2010). In this text, we aim to highlight the main references that mark the evolution of this particular community of knowledge in the period corresponding to the establishment of the democratic regime in Portugal—that is, from April 25, 1974, until then—including some of the preceding references that help us better understand the context of its emergence. Through, above all, a review of the main analytical texts, an expression of self-awareness of the references and memories of its protagonists, especially academics and professors, we intend to offer only our reflective impressions, our experiential testimony from the periphery, regarding the interaction of its generational strata, the eternal dialectic between the "classics" and the "new"—a characteristic of all eras—of the elements that reveal the professionalization of the field of knowledge. Finally, some of the identity markers that contribute to its understanding.