The Perils of Empire: Nationhood and Citizenship in Portugal
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2008
Keywords
nationalism, racism, European Union, postcolonialism, minorities
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1080/13621020802184283
Abstract
After the demise of the Portuguese empire and even more after joining the European Union, the Portuguese state redefined the borders of national belonging. The shift was one from a multi-continental nation, which included parts of Africa, to a more restricted definition of nationhood, one that stressed Portugal's connection to Europe and thus defined belonging by descent. This article, based on research conducted in Lisbon, Portugal in 2003, discusses the impact of this shift on Portuguese citizens of ethnically diverse backgrounds. The Portuguese state, media, academia, and civil society are all involved in constructing, disseminating, and hence consolidating a notion of nationhood that treats ethnically diverse minorities as foreigners, placing them outside the national community. Not producing or disseminating information on ethnic minorities, the Portuguese academia, media, and the state are all actively involved in reproducing a process that perpetuates exclusion and obstructs the construction of political alliances to confront widespread discrimination.
Was this content written or created while at USF?
Yes
Citation / Publisher Attribution
Citizenship Studies, v. 12, issue 4, p. 397-412
Link to Full Text
https://doi.org/10.1080/13621020802184283
Scholar Commons Citation
Reiter, Bernd, "The Perils of Empire: Nationhood and Citizenship in Portugal" (2008). Government and International Affairs Faculty Publications. 15.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/gia_facpub/15
