População e Sociedade

Os Portugueses no Sudeste Asiático (séculos XVI-XVII) - Revisitações historiográficas ou a persistência do “império informal”

Resumo O presente artigo visa analisar criticamente a persistência da influência portuguesa em Timor e Solor após o colapso do Estado da Índia no Sudeste Asiático, no século XVII. Desafiando a narrativa tradicional de um declínio terminal após a perda de Malaca (1641), este estudo propõe o conceito de um "império por delegação", ou “império informal”. Argumenta-se que a soberania portuguesa na região foi, de facto, delegada a uma potência local e crioulizada, os Topasses ("Portugueses Negros"), que operavam com base nos seus próprios interesses. Por meio de uma análise que integra o conceito de "império informal" de Leonard Y. Andaya com as perspetivas indigenistas de Hans Hägerdal, o artigo demonstra que a força destes agentes híbridos emanava da sua capacidade de manipular múltiplas fontes de legitimidade - a europeia e a local. A análise conclui que a influência dos Topasses foi não só o mecanismo de sobrevivência de Portugal na região, mas também a matriz que forjou a identidade cultural e política única de Timor-Leste, oferecendo uma visão mais descentralizada e matizada da natureza adaptativa do império português. Revisitaremos ainda o meritório trabalho de António Manuel Hespanha (2019), Os Filhos da Terra, como revisitação sintética da historiografia portuguesa sobre as identidades mestiças no império português, em especial no longínquo Sudeste Asiático.

Abstract This article aims to critically analyze the persistence of Portuguese influence in Timor and Solor after the collapse of the State of India in Southeast Asia in the 17th century. Challenging the traditional narrative of a terminal decline after the loss of Malacca (1641), this study proposes the concept of an "empire by delegation," or "informal empire." It argues that Portuguese sovereignty in the region was, in fact, delegated to a local and creolized power, the Topasses ("Black Portuguese"), who operated based on their own interests. Through an analysis that integrates Leonard Y. Andaya's concept of "informal empire" with Hans Hägerdal's indigenist perspectives, the article demonstrates that the strength of these hybrid agents stemmed from their ability to manipulate multiple sources of legitimacy - both European and local. The analysis concludes that the influence of the Topasses was not only Portugal's survival mechanism in the region, but also the matrix that forged the unique cultural and political identity of Timor-Leste, offering a more decentralized and nuanced view of the adaptive nature of the Portuguese empire. We will also revisit the meritorious work of António Manuel Hespanha (2019), Os Filhos da Terra (The Children of the Land), as a synthetic revisiting of Portuguese historiography on mixed-race identities in the Portuguese empire, especially in distant Southeast Asia.

A latitude como instrumento: uma lista de alturas e a navegação no Estado da Índia (século XVI)

Resumo Este artigo analisa uma lista manuscrita de latitudes conservada na Biblioteca Nacional de Espanha (ms. 7094), organizada como uma sucessão de topónimos do espaço indo-oriental acompanhados apenas dos respetivos valores de latitude. O documento é interpretado como uma folha de alturas, instrumento técnico de uso prático, resultando de uma longa experiência de produção técnica náutica. A comparação entre as latitudes registadas e os valores modernos permite identificar padrões regionais de precisão e erro, distinguindo zonas de elevada fiabilidade de áreas marcadas por desvios sistemáticos herdados da tradição manuscrita. Argumenta-se que a lista reflete uma fase avançada de consolidação do saber náutico português no Oriente e que contribui para a construção de uma geografia imperial partilhada, ao organizar e tornar reconhecível o espaço indo-oriental através de um instrumento técnico comum, na segunda metade do século XVI.

Abstract This article examines a manuscript list of latitudes preserved in the Biblioteca Nacional de España (ms. 7094), organised as a sequence of Indo-Oriental place names accompanied solely by their latitudinal values. The document is interpreted as alist of heights, a technical instrument for practical use, resulting from long-standing nautical technical production expertise. By comparing the recorded latitudes with modern values, the study identifies regional patterns of accuracy and error, distinguishing highly reliable areas from regions affected by systematic deviations transmitted through manuscript tradition. It argues that the list reflects an advanced phase in the consolidation of Portuguese nautical knowledge in the East and contributes to the construction of a shared imperial geography by organising and stabilising space through a common technical instrument during the second half of the sixteenth century.

Bukharian Jewish Culture and Identity - Insights from a transnational global diaspora

Abstract Bukharian Jews are a distinctive Jewish diaspora community originating from Central Asia, particularly the historical region of Bukhara (now part of Uzbekistan). This ethnic community has a unique fabric of historical and geographical spread, and as a result, an identity that has developed over centuries, influenced by various cultural, social, and ethno-religious factors, mixing elements from diverse areas. The specific nature of the Silk Road and the Central Asian connectedness to the world over time has shaped and been shaped by the Bukharian Jews, while they remain an under-researched population. This paper addresses this unique Jewish diaspora, its geographic spread across countries, and explores its cultural and identity elements. It introduces Bukharian Jews as a diaspora connecting contexts and illustrates key aspects of their culture and identity.

Poetic Echoes of failed Revolutions in 19th century Latin America and Southeast Asia - The Passionate Verses of José Martí and José Rizal

Abstract This study delves into the poetry of two prominent revolutionary figures and national heroes of the 19th century: José Martí, often referred to as the "Apostle of Cuba," who authored 157 known poems, and José Rizal, celebrated in the Philippines as the "national hero" (pambansang bayani), whose collection of 40 long poems exists in both print and manuscript forms. Martí was born in 1853, and Rizal in 1861; during the following decades, they both embodied the revolutionary and nationalist fervor that opposed the declining Spanish colonial empire. Tragically, both men would perish without witnessing the realization of their revolutionary aspirations: Martí was killed in Cuba by Spanish soldiers during the failed armed uprising of 1895, and Rizal was executed in Manila on December 30, 1896. The Spanish empire ultimately fell two years later after its defeat in the Spanish-American War. Following this event, the United States occupied Cuba until 1902, subsequently facilitating the establishment of a Cuban national government that it controlled until the Castro Revolution of 1959. Likewise, the Philippines experienced nearly 50 years of occupation from 1898 to 1946. Although Martí and Rizal never met or corresponded, they were profoundly linked by a shared commitment to a revolutionary romantic poetry, which this research aims to explore and interpret.

St. Francis Xavier in Southeast Asia (1545-1552) - A Religious Captivating Journey Through Time, Space, Societies and Cultural Distance

Abstract This study explores the 138 preserved writings of St. Francis Xavier, which consist of only thirty-three original documents and eight autographs among a greater number of dictated works. These writings, including letters, catechisms, and other materials, recount his arduous journeys and periods of evangelization in Southeast Asia from 1544 to 1552. The research emerges from the notable absence of specific terms; Xavier does not use words such as mission, missionary, society, or culture. With this in mind, we aim to uncover the vocabulary and concepts that the Jesuit employed to describe his religious endeavors, along with the societies, communities, spaces, and cultures he encountered between Malacca and the Moluccas. Ultimately, Xavier's vivid descriptions in 1548 of alleged cannibalism among the inhabitants of the Moro Islands (Sugibawah), located northwest of Halmahera, offer a framework for a more nuanced interpretation of the cultural distance that characterized his movements, settlements, preaching, and teaching in what is now known as Southeast Asia.

Healthcare, Legal and Ethical Challenges of Climate Change Migrations in Bangladesh and in Nepal

Abstract This text looks at the issues related to climate change in Bangladesh and in Nepal in the last decade, focusing on the current challenges. In the last few years, both countries have faced political and social turmoil. Simultaneously, climate change has impacted the capacity of resilience to crisis, in a context already prone to natural disasters. In addition, Bangladesh, and to a lesser extent Nepal, are facing new and growing migration phenomena, in many ways directly or indirectly connected to climate change. How can the two countries overcome difficulties, some of which are structural? What are the organisational challenges, in the area of public health, but also in the relevant legal and ethical fields? What best practices can be identified to increase the resilience of the populations in such a complex context? The attempt to answer those questions includes an analysis of the field context, and looks in a critical way various aspects of the problem and of the challenges to apply the best humanitarian standards in the two countries.

Artificial Intelligence and Humanity: the urgency for an ethical and conscious coexistence

Abstract The present study proposes a critical and constructive reflection on the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in contemporary societies, focusing on the ethical, political, legal, and social challenges it raises, it’s possible repercussions for democracy and on the visions of the future it evokes. Far from advocating a technophobic stance or a rejection of AI, this work proceeds from the conviction that the conscious, responsible, and ethical integration of these technologies into human life is not merely necessary but indeed inevitable - much like what is defended in relation to the coexistence between human beings and nature: a coexistence guided by values of respect, balance, responsibility, and interconnection. Through a theoretical and bibliographical analysis, the study begins with an introduction to the evolution of AI and its most significant applications, seeking to demonstrate its revolutionary potential. It then explores the complexity of the ethical dilemmas arising from its use, such as algorithmic bias and democracy, accountability, and the instrumentalization of the human being, while also undertaking a brief incursion into the political, legal, and social dilemmas involved. In a third stage, the analysis turns to the relationship between AI and democracy, with particular emphasis on the risks associated with information manipulation, digital surveillance, the concentration of technological power, and the erosion of public debate. Finally, the study reflects on the urgency of investing in digital literacy, the central role of education in preserving intellectual autonomy and the fragile balance between security and freedom.

Aging and urbanization: a scientometric analysis with emphasis on technological and inclusive approaches

Abstract Population aging and accelerated urbanization pose significant challenges to urban management, demanding inclusive policies that integrate technology, territory, and social justice. This study conducted a scientometric analysis of 304 articles (2007-2024) from the Scopus database on the use of digital technologies and smart city approaches applied to urban aging. The results reveal a concentration of knowledge in the Global North (the United Kingdom, China, and Canada account for 39% of publications), conceptual fragmentation between the age-friendly and smart cities paradigms, predominance of technocratic perspectives, lack of critical concepts such as technological justice and digital sovereignty, and low international collaboration (25.9%), with the Global South remaining largely invisible. The study proposes an integrated model with five interdependent axes (technology, mobility, public policy, participation, and governance) to guide urban transformations grounded in generational and territorial equity.

Os limites do Direito Internacional perante a invasão russa da Ucrânia de 2022 - Uma perspetiva realista sobre o não cumprimento dos mandados de captura do Tribunal Penal Internacional pelos Estados no sistema internacional

Resumo A emissão do mandado de captura pelo Tribunal Penal Internacional contra o Presidente da Federação Russa, chefe de Estado de uma das cinco grandes potências com poder de veto no Conselho de Segurança das Nações Unidas foi amplamente objeto de contestação por parte de um conjunto de Estados aliados da Rússia, sendo um fator de divisão entre todos os Estados que atuam no sistema internacional. O propósito desta investigação é analisar os limites da aplicação do Direito Internacional perante os atores estatais envolvidos na guerra, e explicar de que forma, a limitação da aplicação do Direito Internacional contribui para o não cumprimento dos mandados de captura do Tribunal Penal Internacional pelos Estados no sistema internacional, sob a lente teórica da escola realista das Relações Internacionais.

Abstract The issuance of an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court against the President of the Russian Federation, head of state of one of the five great powers with veto power in the United Nations Security Council, was widely contested by a group of allied states of Russia, being a factor of division between all States that operate in the international system. The purpose of our research is to analyse the limits of the application of International Law towards state actors involved in war, and to explain how the limitation of the application of International Law contributes to the non-compliance with the arrest warrants of the International Criminal Court by States in the international system, under the theoretical lens of the realistic school of International Relations.

As vicissitudes da implementação do constitucionalismo monárquico português. O caso da Póvoa de Varzim (1834-1839)

Resumo Com o termo da Guerra Civil (1832-1834) foi finalmente possível retomar, de forma consistente, a construção do regime monárquico constitucional, após as experiências efémeras de 1820-1823 e 1826. Com este trabalho procuramos avaliar o impacto, na vila e concelho da Póvoa de Varzim, das amplas reformas liberais, nas suas diversas vertentes: político-administrativas, territoriais, judiciais, fiscais, paramilitares e militares, e higienistas e sanitárias, nestes casos no respeitante às inumações humanas. Avaliaremos as dificuldades de aplicação prática dessas medidas inovadoras. Abordaremos os sucessivos diplomas legislativos tendentes à conformidade da legislação de Mouzinho da Silveira com as realidades nacional e local. E procuraremos interpretar as formas de resistência da câmara e da população a tais determinações, que vieram alterar consideravelmente o quotidiano da administração municipal e dos próprios moradores.

Abstract With the end of the Civil War (1832-1834) it was finally possible to take again, in a consistent way, the construction of the constitutional monarchical regime, after the ephemeral experiences of 1820-1823 and 1826. With this work we seek to evaluate the impact, in the village and municipality of Povoa de Varzim, of the broad liberal reforms, in its various aspects: political-administrative, territorial, judicial, fiscal, paramilitary and military, and hygienists and sanitary, in these cases with regard to human inhumations. We will assess the difficulties of practical implementation of these innovative measures. We will approach the successive legislative acts aimed at the conformity of the legislation of Mouzinho da Silveira with the national and local realities. And we will try to interpret the forms of resistance of the town council and the population to such determinations, which have considerably changed the daily life of the municipal administration and the residents themselves.

A orla costeira de Cabo Verde - Uma proposta de Literacia Oceânica

Resumo Este artigo constitui um contributo para um maior conhecimento, ou literacia oceânica, da orla costeira de Cabo Verde. Dados relevantes são apresentados, através da contextualização, da análise crítica e do estudo sobre o dimensionamento e (re)cálculo de algumas caraterísticas geográficas da orla costeira, com recurso a tecnologias digitais disponíveis como Sistemas de Informação Geográfica (SIG) e webmapping (Google Earth). O artigo compara dados obtidos com o conhecimento disponível em outras fontes, apresentando referências e exemplos comparativos de Cabo Verde com outras realidades costeiras, estabelecendo similaridades e diferenças. A análise da dimensão geográfica da orla costeira de Cabo Verde abrange, em particular, as suas diferentes ilhas e municípios, comparando-a com outras regiões marítimas no mundo e em países próximos, referenciando os níveis da antropização da presença humana do território costeiro. Destaca-se a dicotomia entre as zonas marítimas ocupadas e não ocupadas, bem como os tipos e exemplos de ocupação e a relação com as áreas marítimas protegidas ou com necessidade de proteção. É igualmente feito referência à avaliação dos impactos da ocupação humana, propondo que a Avaliação do Impacto Ambiental seja completada por uma Avaliação de Impacto Sustentável, que abrange a sustentabilidade ambiental, social e económica sensível à especificidade do território de Cabo Verde, e em especial à sua extensa orla costeira.

Abstract This article contributes to a greater knowledge, or ocean literacy, of the Cape Verde coastline. Relevant data is presented through contextualisation, critical analysis and the study of the dimensioning and (re)calculation of some geographical characteristics of the coastline, using available digital technologies such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and webmapping (Google Earth). The article compares data obtained with knowledge available from other sources, presenting references and comparative examples from Cape Verde and other coastal areas, establishing similarities and differences. The analysis of the geographical dimension of the Cape Verdean coastline covers, in particular, its different islands and municipalities, comparing it with other maritime regions in the world and in neighbouring countries. It makes a reference to the levels of anthropisation of human presence in the coastal territory, and highlights the dichotomy between occupied and unoccupied maritime areas, as well as the types and examples of occupation and the relationship with protected maritime areas or those in need of protection. Reference is also made to the assessment of the impacts of human occupation, proposing that the Environmental Impact Assessment be supplemented by a Sustainable Impact Assessment, covering environmental, social and economic sustainability sensitive to the specific nature of Cape Verde's territory, and in particular its extensive coastline.