Editorial – Maria Manuela Tavares Ribeiro

The interdisciplinary nature of CEIS20…

I recall the words of Vitorino Magalhães Godinho: “History must be, at its core, political economy, law, sociology, geography, anthropology, philosophy, science, etc...”. Interdisciplinarity is established. Interdisciplinarity is achieved from history and through history, in which “through a certain scientific-methodological agglutination, every problem, every question is viewed, analysed, problematised from every possible angle”. It is within this framework that CEIS20 has consolidated itself.

In 1998 I joined the Centre for 20th Century Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Coimbra, founded by Dr Luís Reis Torgal and five other researchers. I was elected Vice-Coordinator of CEIS20 in 1998.

From the beginning, I presented a working group with 4 lines of action: Portugal’s relations with Europe and the world, Portuguese communities and the Portuguese-speaking countries, today called Europeanism, Atlanticism and Globalisation.

On 22 January 2007, I was elected Scientific Coordinator of CEIS20, which continued with the same structure. Six working groups had already been set up.

We have always strived for interaction between the various CEIS20 groups, sometimes unsuccessfully. However, national and international relations have intensified in the context of trans- and inter-disciplinary problematisation. Priority was given to international relations due to the mobility of researchers and the desirable articulation between theoretical reflection and empirical data; critical, scientific and cultural debate has sought to respond to the demands of the scientific community and the general public. Relations have been established and consolidated through agreements, protocols, partnerships and projects with national and foreign universities, research centres, national and foreign foundations, community institutions, schools, local authorities and associations. The Centre has broadened its research horizons with European, African and American countries (North and South America) through publications, projects and dissertations (many of which have been published) in the fields of history, law, philosophy, geography, communication, education, science, art studies, international relations and political science.

A proposal was submitted to the Institute for Interdisciplinary Research (III) for the creation of a doctoral programme in Contemporary Studies. It was approved and started in the 2011-2012 academic year (Official Journal of Portugal, No. 30, 10.02.2012).

The objectives of its curriculum structure and plan are as follows:

– To acquire a high level of contemporary knowledge in the fields of history, political science, European studies, international relations, art studies, communication sciences, educational sciences and health sciences.

– To develop epistemological, theoretical and methodological tools to enable the production of more operational scientific knowledge about complex social phenomena and their interdisciplinary analysis.

– Individual or comparative study of complex social phenomena on a local, regional, national or international scale. Short, medium and long-term observation networks have been used to reconstruct and interpret these phenomena

– The aim was to train autonomous researchers with a high capacity for execution, imaginative and rigorous, aware of the importance of theoretical questions and empirical evidence, specialists in a particular field of knowledge but aware of the importance of interdisciplinary approaches.

The aim was for the doctoral student to define relevant subjects of study, to be able to select diverse and appropriate research methods, to plan and carry out scientific research projects, and to produce and disseminate operational scientific knowledge.

Perspectives of analysis from two or more fields of knowledge were adopted in the Contemporary Period study area.

National and international projects, protocols and partnerships have been implemented, integrating the scientific, technological, cultural and artistic activities developed within the framework of this doctoral programme.

Since its inception, the 3rd Cycle course in Contemporary Studies has been in line with the objectives 3rd Cycle Programme – to promote the development of science and technology from an interdisciplinary and comparative perspective.

Much of this is due to the collaboration of the Deputy Heads at the time, Dr João Rui Pita and Dr João Paulo Avelãs Nunes. In my opinion, the doctoral programme has been one of the strong pillars of CEIS20. The Centre is one of its visible faces, deeply rooted in today’s emerging challenges.

I would like to point out that CEIS20 researchers are known to publish in national and international scientific journals.

However, I would like to remind you of the importance of the journal CEIS20 – Estudos do Século XX, founded by Dr Reis Torgal. I was its director and CEIS20 coordinator from 2004 to 2013. As always, the journal was published annually. It is indexed in several databases. Each volume, coordinated by researchers from the different groups, has published volumes that clearly demonstrate the interdisciplinary studies of the Centre. Of note is the high number of subscriptions to the journal and exchanges with important national and international journals.

The journal Debater a Europa was founded in 2009 by AEVA-CIEDA in collaboration with the Portuguese Office of the European Parliament and the European Commission Representation in Portugal. Linked to CEIS20, it has shown a strong interdisciplinary character. There has been a significant contribution from researchers of different nationalities. Its Editorial Board is a good example of this interdisciplinarity. This journal is supported by IUC.

I was its director from 2012-2021. Its publication owes much to the hard work and dedicated interest of Dr Isabel Maria Freitas Valente.

At the suggestion of Dr Reis Torgal, I created the Colecção História Contemporânea (Contemporary History Collection), which I coordinated between 2009 and 2019. This is further proof of the interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary nature of CEIS20, which is evident in the dozens of volumes published under the approval of IUC.

I should also mention the Colecção Estudos sobre a Europa (Studies on Europe Collection), which I coordinated between 2002 and 2015, with Dr Carlos Amaral in charge this year. This Collecti0on has always been published by Editora Almedina.

A practice that began in 2009 and has been enthusiastically received by researchers from the Centre and beyond is the CEIS20 Young Researchers’ Meetings. They provide a healthy debate of ideas, discussion of topics and exchange of experiences, which are explained in particularly useful summary books. I would like to emphasise their importance, which is due to the persistent collaboration, exchange and debate of many young researchers with different dissertation projects. The idea persists. The meetings continue. I commend this initiative.

Everything I have said, in summary, is the result of collective work, of painstaking participation in various scientific and cultural activities, always with the dedicated participation of many researchers, young researchers and doctoral students, which I am pleased to note. The close and fruitful links with the Institute for Interdisciplinary Research (III) should be highlighted. There have been many colloquia, congresses, seminars, conferences, workshops, courses, at CEIS20 and other institutions, which have enabled us to organise so many stimulating activities. I acknowledge the support of the FCT, the III, the Eng António de Almeida Foundation, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, local councils and other public and private organisations.

Our excellent collaborators, Dr Isabel Luciano, Dr Marlene Taveira and D. Ângela Lopes, as well as others who worked with us at CEIS20, have always showed a high level of professionalism and close human contact that I will never forget. I have to admit that those were years of learning and enriching experience.

A final word to the current Scientific Coordinator at CEIS20, Dr José António de Oliveira Martins. I welcome this 25th anniversary of CEIS20 and I thank all the researchers, all the collaborators and friends, as well as the Scientific Coordinators, Dr António Pedro Pita, Dr António Rochette and Dr José António Oliveira Martins, who have continued on this path, which we continue to follow with great success. As in November 2008, when we celebrated the 10th anniversary of CEI20 with the Colloquium Outros Combates pela História and the tribute to founder Reis Torgal, I say today, as I always have, that your project was and is ambitious. 25 years on, we are still well aware that the road we have travelled is only part of what remains to be done. We hope that it will continue to be as successful as ever, with all those who have built this centre with their research, hard work and enthusiasm.

CEIS20, 22 November 2023

Maria Manuela Tavares Ribeiro
(Retired Full Professor of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Coimbra. Researcher at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies of the University of Coimbra – CEIS20)