Portugal Unchained: Politics, Culture, and Resistance from Estado Novo to Democracy

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This course examines the political, social, and cultural history of Portugal from the establishment of the Estado Novo dictatorship in 1933 to the consolidation of democracy in the 1980s and beyond. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach that draws on historical documents, literature, music, and film, students will explore the mechanisms of authoritarian control, the effects of the colonial wars, the transformative Carnation Revolution of 1974, and the complex process of democratic transition and today’s current political dynamics in the country. Special emphasis will be placed on resistance movements, censorship, and the politics of memory. The course also considers how these legacies continue to shape contemporary Portuguese society and political life today. This course will be taught in English.