John Paul II University Library hosts talk on understanding the Revolution

On April 29, the João Paulo II University Library, at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa (UCP), hosted the talk “Understanding the Revolution”, as part of the exhibition “The Democratic Revolution in Portugal: Sources and Research Projects at UCP”, which will run until the end of May. 

The meeting was attended by Maria Inácia Rezola, Executive Commissioner of the Commemorations of the 50th anniversary of April 25; Henrique Mota, field researcher on UCP projects between 1978 and 1981; Nuno Estêvão Ferreira, researcher at CEHR (Center for the Study of Religious History); and Peter Hanenberg, Vice-Rector of UCP. The moderator was Paulo Fontes, director of the CEHR.

The first free elections by universal suffrage in Portugal, held in 1975, were at the centre of the conversation. Materials collected between 1978 and 1981 were also presented, as part of two research projects at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa, dedicated to the study of Agrarian Reform and the ongoing Revolutionary Process.

Against the backdrop of photographs, newspapers, posters and campaign materials produced during Portugal's democratic transition, the talk also focused on the impact of the April 25 celebrations on the younger generation.

It also discussed the inclusion of UCP in the list of archives with documentation relevant to the study of this period, as well as the importance of preserving and disseminating heritage in the construction of collective memory.

Different characteristics of political activity and social unrest in the post-1974 period were also addressed, as well as the methods of scientific work in the late 1970s and the initiation of research by university students.

The exhibition was designed by a team made up of Ana Folque, Catarina Santos and Samuel Santos (UCP Library), Alice Borges Gago and Nuno Estêvão Ferreira (UCP-CEHR).