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THE TEAM
CONTACT
Positions were beginning to align, despite the fact that in Cortesão historical figures were still prominent, while in Sérgio’s, social groups were already the veritable protagonists of historical processes. These positions also reflect ed what was happening in Seara Nova, which analy s ed society and sought action by individuals in the development of a different governing mentality in Portugal.
In 1926, Cortesão would publish a pamphlet at the National Library on the Treaty of Tordesillas (Le Traité de Tordesillas et la découverte de l’Amérique), and before 1930, he also presented Portugal at the Antwerp International Exhibition with a synthesis text entitled L’Expansion des Portugais dans l’Histoire de la Civilisation. There, he would open new developments in the chapters of expansion history with which he was collaborating in the História de Portugal by Barcelos. That same year would see the publication of what is considered the culmination of the first phase of Cortesão’s work, "one of his masterpieces and one of the high points of Portuguese historiography" of the 20th century: “Os Factores Democráticos na Formação de Portugal” ["The Democratic Factors in the Formation of Portugal"] (Godinho, Presen ça, p. XIII).
Cortesão would seek the emergence of nationality in the occupation of the territory and the lifestyles of the populations in the various regions. The community was constituted by this combination of diverse social backgrounds, albeit with some level of foreign coloni s ation. As was his habit, Cortesão sought sociological theories to serve his purpose. He would look to geographers, sociologists, and also to economists (though mainly related to commerce) for support to find reasons that would explain the origin of the Nation. He would no longer seek timeless and imaginary reasons—which were always impossible to prove— to advance in an understanding of the administration of the territory.
