'The tears of Portugal': empire, identity, 'race', and destiny in Portuguese geopolitical narratives

Sidaway, J.D.; Power, M.

Abstract

Geopolitical discourses are constitutive moments within the expression and construction of ‘national’ identities. Approaching geopolitics and identities as contested and fluid domains, we examine the relationships between geopolitical narratives and visions of Portugueseness (Portugalidade). The focus is on the frames of geopolitical thought developed in 20th-century Portugal, with particular reference to the post-1945 period and with some consideration of the transformations since 1974 accompanying the collapse of what was both the first and the most enduring European overseas empire. This study of Portuguese geopolitical discourses leads to a conclusion in which we reflect on the significance of relations between the ‘colonial’ and the ‘postcolonial’ and the articulations of East –West and North – South in geopolitical discourses. This permits wider critique concerning the location of geopolitics within 20th-century and contemporary imperialisms.

Citation

Sidaway, J., & Power, M. (2005). 'The tears of Portugal': empire, identity, 'race', and destiny in Portuguese geopolitical narratives. Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 23(4), 527-554. https://doi.org/10.1068/d345t

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: 2005
• Deposit Date: Jul 2, 2008
• Journal: Environment and Planning D: Society and Space
• Print ISSN: 0263-7758
• Electronic ISSN: 1472-3433
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 23
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 527-554
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1068/d345t
• Keywords: 20th-century Portugal, Geopolitical discourse, National identity, Portugueseness, Portugalidade.
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1572907