Mário Soares also had a tendency to highlight (and occasionally exalt) characteristics of the Portuguese people, portraying them as natural traits shaped by historical experiences. Regarding the Age of Discoveries, he described the Portuguese , at various points in the past, as being “singularly tolerant, sensitive to the right to difference, culturally humanist,” proudly linking these qualities to contemporary times (Soares, “Um testemunho perene” [A Perennial Testimony], 1988, p. 279). He also acknowledged a democratic tradition “dating back to the dawn of nationality,” i.e., the 12th century—an idea present in 19th- and 20th-century liberal and republican historiography, notably advocated by Jaime Cortesão. However, historical deviations from this tradition, such as the Inquisition’s torments or the Estado Novo , were seen as historical oscillations. This tradition was fully rediscovered only in 1974, becoming institutionally normalised through democracy (Soares, “Um povo com vocação universalista” [A People with a Universalist Vocation], 1990, pp. 175–176).

Soares argued that t he Age of Discoveries, was “the pivotal event in Portuguese history,” which brought about structural changes worldwide. Through these voyages, people from non-European civilisations encountered cultural notions and dynamics prevailing in Portugal at the time ( although Soares included concepts such as “race” and “nation” among these ideas), espoused by a collective Portuguese endeavour. In his view, this was a people expressing “their identity and fulfilling their full national vocation” (Soares, “Uma aventura que mudou a face da Terra” [An Adventure That Changed the Face of the Earth], 1988, pp. 166–167). Soares thus asserted a historical legacy that conferred a responsibility towards the nations that had emerged from the former Empire. Adapting this to his contemporary context, it carried a forward-looking—and inherently political—connotation, particularly in the context of commemorations and historical anniversaries.

This perspective is evident, for example, in the relationship between Portugal and Brazil, where political aims are partly grounded in a historical aspect. Soares argued that, despite Portugal’s “European choice,” there is a “maritime and Atlantic vocation” that necessitates strengthening ties with Brazil—both historical and contemporary—as if this connection forms the basis for future cooperation between the two countries ( ibidem , “Uma afirmação do espírito moderno” [An Affirmation of the Modern Spirit], pp. 175–177). Similarly, he framed Portugal within a Europe intrinsically connected to the rest of the world through the Age of Discoveries—“one of the great accomplishments of human history, and naturally a source of national pride for the Portuguese”—which brought the “European spirit” to the farthest reaches of the globe (Soares, “Europa da Cultura” [Europe of Culture], 1989, p. 239). While these reflections undoubtedly contain political ideas and dialogues shaped by the international context and contemporary circumstances, there is an evident effort to transcend them.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | (Pdf)