President of Universidade Católica will participate fortnightly in RTP Notícias' programme ‘Divagar é preciso’
The President of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Isabel Capeloa Gil, has been invited to participate fortnightly in the new programme ‘Divagar é preciso’, part of RTP Notícias' evening news.
The programme premiered this week and is now part of the public television news channel's schedule, resulting from the reorganisation of RTP 3. According to the television station, ‘Divagar é preciso’ aims to give a voice to eight personalities who stand out in different areas, seeking to bring other topics and other perspectives that go beyond the news that marks current events and present free and unexpected reflections on the world.
In her first ‘digression’, Isabel Capeloa Gil drew on Stefan Zweig’s book ‘The World of Yesterday – Memories of a European’ to reflect on how we relate to the past and what impact this relationship has on our understanding and experience of the present.
Analysing Europe at the beginning of the 20th century, marked by stability, predictability, guaranteed security and a fascination with technology, but also by the decline of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the First World War, Isabel Capeloa Gil considers that there is an “idealisation of the past” in this work that also occurs today.
“In some political and social sectors, we also see [a tendency] to idealise the past, to create a kind of retrotopia, an idealised past that serves as a kind of escape and a model for the present, but in reality, that past was never ideal. Serving as a model for the present is simply a way of failing to face the complexity of our reality and trying to find a simple narrative to help us navigate this world of uncertainty," argues Isabel Capeloa Gil.
Therefore, the President emphasises that the role of academics and universities is to show that ‘although the reality is not comfortable, it has the tools, through knowledge and values, to move forward coherently’. To this end, Isabel Capeloa Gil continues, ‘it is necessary to be able to look at the past, at the memory of what we have built, without complexes, without idealising it, without placing it on an uncritical and idealised pedestal. But to have the courage to see what was good and bright and what was miserable in that past, and that complexity that helps us move forward into the future with confidence’.
With a degree in Modern Languages and Literature, specialising in English and German studies, a master's degree in German studies and a PhD in German language and culture, Isabel Capeloa Gil is a professor at the Faculty of Human Sciences at Católica University and took up the position of president in 2016, currently serving her third term. Since July, she has also been president of the Strategic Alliance of Catholic Research Universities (SACRU). A member of 11 international scientific associations in the field of Cultural Studies and Communication Sciences, she has published research in seven languages and is the author of more than 150 titles.
In addition to Isabel Capeloa Gil, the column ‘Divagar é preciso’ features contributions from Nuno Maulide (scientist), Tiago Rodrigues (theatre director), Tânia Graça (psychologist and sexologist), Joana Carneiro (conductor), Vasco Coelho dos Santos (chef), Bruno Maçães (international politics expert) and Tiago Reis Marques (psychiatrist).