This appears to be precisely the task Lourenço undertakes in his classic O Labirinto da Saudade . In the aftermath of the 25 April Revolution, the Portuguese repeatedly questioned their identity as a people and the future they sought for themselves. This collection of essays, previously published in various outlets, resonated with Portuguese readers (at least those who engaged with books, newspapers, and magazines), many of whom saw themselves in the portrait sketched by Lourenço. It should be noted, however, that although the essayist sought to intuitively capture the Portuguese collective unconscious, the term "psychoanalysis" in the subtitle seems misplaced, as Lourenço’s reflections owe little to Freud. Instead, they are rooted in his sharp readings of the authors of the “Generation of 1870,” particularly Eça de Queirós and Antero de Quental, and, in terms of history, particularly Oliveira Martins. As Lourenço himself wrote: “Vieira and Oliveira Martins, each in their own way and sometimes alike, are the psychoanalysts of the nation” ( Situação Africana e Consciência Nacional [African Situation and National Consciousness], p. 22).

As another example of Lourenço's preference for constructing structural traits, one might consider a statement made in a recent interview. According to him, from a cultural and political perspective, the predominant worldview in France was adopted by the Portuguese elite, but not by Portuguese society as a whole ( Ler , no. 138, Summer 2015, p. 33). He further developed this theme in the essay “Portugal-França ou a comunicação assimétrica” [“Portugal–France or Asymmetric Communication”], included in the volume Nós e a Europa, ou as duas razões [Us and Europe, or the Two Reasons], a collection that helps shape a collective portrait of Portugal and Iberia (once again echoing Oliveira Martins) in relation to Europe, particularly France. Notably, in more recent writings, Lourenço has also drawn comparisons with the Anglo-American world.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | (Pdf)