Lusotropicalism is a belief
and movement especially strong during the Salazar's dictatorship in
Portugal
(the
Estado
Novo
regime), proposing that the Portuguese were
better colonizer than other European
nations. It was believed that because of Portugal's warmer
climate, being geographically close to
Africa, and having been inhabited by
Romans,
Visigoths,
Moors and several other peoples in pre-modern
times, the Portuguese were more humane, friendly, and adaptable to
other climates and cultures. In addition, by the early 20th
century, Portugal was by far the
European colonial power with the oldest
territorial presence overseas, in some cases its territories had
been continuously settled and ruled by the Portuguese throughout
five centuries. It celebrated both actual and mythological elements
of
racial democracy and
civilizing mission in the
Portuguese Empire, and was a pro-
miscegenation attitude toward the
colonies/overseas territories. It is best exemplified in the work
of
Gilberto Freyre.
Salazar's view
In order to support his colonial policies,
António de Oliveira Salazar
adopted
Gilberto Freyre's notion of
Lusotropicalism, maintaining that since Portugal had been a
multicultural, multiracial and pluricontinental nation since the
15th century, if the country were to be dismembered by losing its
overseas territories, that would spell the end for Portuguese
independence. In geopolitical terms, no critical mass would then be
available to guarantee self-sufficiency to the Portuguese State.
Salazar had strongly resisted Freyre's ideas throughout the 1930s,
partly because Freyre claimed the Portuguese were more prone than
other European nations to miscegenation, and only adopted
Lusotropicalism after sponsoring Freyre on a visit to Portugal and
its colonies in 1951-2. Freyre's work "Aventura e Rotina" was a
result of this trip.
References
- Miguel Vale de Almeida, Portugal’s Colonial Complex: From Colonial
Lusotropicalism to Postcolonial Lusophony
See also
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