Revista de História da Sociedade e da Cultura

Sea bathing, architecture and law: an overview of 200 years of intersections at the seaside

Luís Carlos Mestrinho

This study explores the historical links between sea bathing, architecture and law. It shows how architecture has served to mediate the practice of sea bathing, from its revival in the eighteenth century, to the contemporary spatialisation of the multiple uses of the sea for bathing. It examines the role of law in regulating not only the accessibility and use of maritime space, but also the social practice of sea bathing itself, by attempting to impose moral standards, what we call the 'spatialisation of decency'. In light of the recognition of water-related activities in urban settings, this work sheds light on the complex and often contradictory, yet ever-present, relationships between sea bathing, law and architecture that have shaped both the sea-land interstice as well as the bather's experience throughout history and concludes that this triad has been closely linked, either embracing or opposing the social organisation and habits of sea bathers.

Entrevista Professor Kiran Klaus Patel

Ana Guardião

Identifying two works from the library of Queen Leonor (1458-1525): The Book of Good Manners and De Ornatu Mulierum

Ana Isabel Buescu

The year 2025 marks the 500th anniversary of the death of Queen Leonor (1458-1525), a unique figure who played an important role in the political, social and cultural history of her time. Books and written culture were an integral part of her interests, and the queen sponsored the publication of seminal works of early Portuguese typography. She also owned a library that we now know to have been remarkable in size for its time. In the context of an overview of her library, this text will give special emphasis to her secular books, highlighting the thematic diversity that reflects the eclecticism of Queen Leonor's interests. In particular, we will identify two works, which are very different in nature but both of great cultural significance.

“Falando ElRey, lhe perguntou da saude d’ElRey”

Zoltan Biedermann

This article, which is part of a broader enquiry into the diplomatic dynamics that underpinned the first wave of globalisation, is focused on the diplomatic culture that formed the basis for the establishment of lasting relations between the Portuguese and the elites of societies in West Africa and the Indian Ocean world in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. It analyses the motivations that, in Africa, Asia, and the kingdom of Portugal itself, led kings and little kings to invest in diplomatic mechanisms with a strong ceremonial component in order to consolidate their power. Based on this analysis, it formulates some broader questions about the significance of diplomacy and political rituals for the history of late medieval and modern state formation. It puts forward the hypothesis that a transnational history of diplomatic practices, attentive both to the dynamics of connection and convergence and to those of disconnection and divergence between cultures, can help us understand the dynamic nature of royal power in Portugal itself – including the widely debated problem of regal centralisation – at the turn of the sixteenth century.

BEING A MIGRANT IS NATURAL AND BEING AN IMMIGRANT IS NORMAL

Roberto Vilmar Satur

This article reflects on the act and condition of being a migrant, immigrant and refugee as well as their relationship with the 'new' land and the 'new' people with whom they will relate, interact and live together. Of course, cultural differences will be perceived, some will be assimilated and others will be resisted. From a legal and humanitarian point of view, these people should be treated with zeal and care, and supported by the local community. From a religious point of view, especially from a theological perspective and from the Judeo-Christian principle, it is clearly determined that the local community should support and look after foreigners. The problem is that the state, which should provide legal and official support, barely ever does, or does so in a precarious or incomplete way. It acts more in terms of control and barriers to entry than in terms of support and assistance. The government's failure to act has overloaded churches, other religious institutions and NGOs, which in most cases act voluntarily or under self-financing in this work of refuge and relief. This overload has meant that these institutions cannot handle all the demand. It is this discussion that is developed in this article, trying to reflect on the methodological perspective with arguments present in various bibliographies, in legal acts (legislation and its application) and in sacred books, such as the Bible, in which the role of welcoming immigrants and refugees and their mishaps is discussed. To do this, it uses qualitative and reflexive research, based on bibliographical research and web research. It concludes that if weren't non-state entities (churches, NGOs, etc.) practically the majority of refugees would be living on the streets and marginalized, and this is not exclusive to Brazil. It can be concluded that welcoming immigrants and refugees is a duty of all local communities, both individuals and legal entities, both state and non-state entities, both Christians and non-Christians. It is a humanitarian duty.