Seminário Livre de História das Ideias
The Seminário Livre de História das Ideias (SLHI) was formed, in the early 1990s, through the efforts of former master’s degree students in Cultural and Political History of the Universidade Nova of Lisbon. Its foremost objective was to create an arena for critical thought and research that provided continuity for the seminars of the master’s degree course.
After the initial moment of introducing and discussing individual studies concerning different subjects of shared interest, the Seminário went on to combine the activity derived from the permanent and collective work in the field of Theory and History of Ideas with the design and implementation of research projects dedicated to contemporary cultural and political Portuguese history.
The initial projects focused on the period of the liberal revolution and were followed by an inflection towards the history of intellectuals and, subsequently, to the magazines of ideas and culture of the twentieth century.
The special attention given to the Portuguese magazines of the previous century intends to contribute not only to the study of the evolution of individual and collective doctrines, themes, and sensibilities which were built around these periodicals, but also to provide universal access to the complete collections of some of the more significant titles, by effecting their electronic republication in accordance with strict and innovative scientific and technical standards.
Among the scientific results of the research group, which maintains its original designation of Seminário Livre de História das Ideias, are various publications, such as the collective books Lisboa, 1821. A cidade e os políticos (1996), Dreyfus e a responsabilidade intelectual (1999), Dicionário do vintismo e do primeiro cartismo (2002), Revistas, ideias e doutrinas. Leituras do pensamento contemporâneo (2002), Atlântida. A invenção da comunidade luso-brasileira (2013), Representações da República (2013). In the field of articles appearing in specialized publications, the thematic issue “O tempo das revistas”, for Cultura. Revista de História e Teoria das Ideias (2009), should be highlighted. With regards to the study and digital reproduction of periodicals, we find the DVD editions of Alma Nacional (2004), O Tempo e o Modo, first and new series (2006 and 2008), the webpages dedicated to Estudos Sociais and Portugália (2005), and, most notably, websites for such relevant periodicals as Atlântida (2015), A Águia (2016), Seara Nova (2017), Orpheu (2017), O Tempo e o Modo (2018), Suplemento de A Batalha (2018), Contemporânea (2018), A Construcção Moderna (2019), Sol Nascente (2020), and KWY (2021).
In 2022, research and republishing of magazines of ideas and culture expanded to Brazil with the online publication of six of the main periodicals associated with the São Paulo Modern Art Week of 22: Klaxon, Estética, A Revista, Terra Roxa e Outras Terras, Verde, and Revista de Antropofagia.
The research and publishing activities have been carried out in partnership with the Mário Soares and Maria Barroso Foundation and the National Library of Portugal, and have been supported by the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, the Assembleia da República, the Centro Nacional de Cultura, and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. In Brazil, the study and publication work has relied on a team of local researchers and cooperation agreements with the Biblioteca Brasiliana Guita e José Mindlin (USP) and the Fundação Casa de Rui Barbosa.
The Revistas de Ideias e Cultura Portal received the Ler+ Award, from the National Reading Plan, in 2022, and the Research Impact Narratives award, from the Universidade Nova de Lisboa, in 2023.
Since January 2014, the work of the SLHI autonomous research team has taken place within the institutional framework of CHAM – Centre for the Humanities, of the Universidade Nova de Lisboa and the Universidade dos Açores.