Migrations and the Rise of African Lisbon: Time-Space of Portuguese (Post)coloniality

Portugal is arguably the European nation with the longest experience with “colonialism” in a variety of configurations, historical moments, and geographical contexts. Yet, given its perennially peripheral status from a geopolitical and economic standpoint, the Portuguese (post-)colonial experience has not been an object of attention outside of the field of Lusophone Studies. This essay provides a brief historical overview to understand the breadth and depth of the Portuguese (post)colonial experience; offers a conceptual map of Portuguese postcoloniality where ideologies of affect and exceptionalism such as Lusotropicalism play a key role; highlights the centrality of immigration for an understanding of Portuguese society — particularly African immigration and its nexus with the history of colonialism and racism that reverberates in national debates around race, ethnicity, and interculturality; provides a brief account of the rise of an Afro-Portuguese culture; and presents short readings of Portuguese cinematic texts that exemplify ethical and aesthetic praxes bringing marginalized black subjects to the center of representation in the quest for social and cultural citizenship.     

Rubble Stone Masonry Walls Strengthened by Three-Dimensional Steel Ties and Textile-Reinforced Mortar Render,Under Compression and Shear Loads

This article addresses the results of a structural strengthening solution for rubble stone masonry walls. The strengthening includes inserting three-dimensional steel ties across the thickness of the walls and a 30-mm layer of air-lime and cement mortar render reinforced with glass fiber mesh (textile-reinforced mortar), on both sides of the wall. The strengthening solution was found to be efficient for rehabilitating ancient rubble stone masonry walls due to the “three-dimensional” confinement, provided by the steel wires, by offsetting the low cohesive capacity of the mortar used in the walls and thus improving the mechanical resistance and delaying the collapse mechanisms. This study is part of an experimental research program carried out in Universidade Nova de Lisboa, to evaluate structural strengthening solutions for ancient rubble stone masonry buildings. To this end, three specimens of rubble stone masonry walls without strengthening (unreinforced masonry) and other three, with the mentioned strengthening solution, were subjected to compression and shear load tests. Building materials were also tested in order to characterize physical, chemical and mechanical properties.     

Trade and the location of industries in the OECD and European Union

Trade and location theory identifies forces that could leadto locational dispersion (comparative advantage) or locationalconcentration (scale economies) in the face of globalizing markets,each with different consequences for specialization and theadjustment costs associated with integration. However, theseforces can play themselves out in very complex ways if locationalchange principally affects intermediate production. Moreover,effects of history may be important, if locational patternswhich exist prior to integration reflect either strong externaleconomies or, as we argue, strong institutionalized capacitiesto respond to more open markets. This could especially be thecase in the context of Europe, whose territories are generallyless specialized than the states of the USA. To see how thesedifferent effects are operating today, empirical measurementis required. Using a data set which allows changes in locationaldistribution of manufacturing industries in the OECD to be measured,we show that Europe does not seem to be ‘Americanizing’its economic geography. Many sectors are actually spreadingout in Europe, implying that the effects of history have remainedstrong up to this point. Specialization increases are weak inmost European economies as well. The OECD has a more complexpicture of spread and concentration. Some of the implicationsfor further research on agglomeration, intra-industry trade,and integration are brought out in the conclusion.     

The afterlives of Hugo Chávez as political symbol

In January 2016, the first publicized decision made by the president of the newly installed Venezuelan parliament, Henry Ramos Allup, was the removal of pictures from the legislative premises. In what transpired as a calculated performance, this member of the old political guard was captured on video dismissively instructing removal workers to send pictures of Chávez away to Sabaneta (Chávez's birthplace), or into the rubbish bin. He also commanded the removal of recent representations of Simón Bolívar, disqualifying them as ‘an invention of that mister [Chávez], a crazy thing’. This episode signalled the intensification of an ongoing struggle over political symbols in Venezuela. This article discusses the background and implications of such a struggle, focusing in particular on the figure of Chávez as the epitome of a contested national symbol. The fate of Chávez's corpse, currently located in a mausoleum, is at stake, but also the configuration of the institutionally sanctioned symbolic order with which political actors aim to condition political manoeuvring in years to come.     

Bone damage patterns found in the avian prey remains of crested caracara Caracara plancus (Aves,Falconiformes)

The following paper presents the results of the analysis of the avian prey bones found in uneaten remains of crested caracara (Caracara plancus, Aves, Falconiformes) from La Pampa province, Argentina. Anatomical parts representation and taphonomic modifications were evaluated and compared to results of the evaluation of bone remains recovered from crested caracara’s pellets and to previous studies of other diurnal birds of prey. The results suggest a preferential consumption of some body parts of avian prey, as evidenced in the high frequency of wing elements in the uneaten prey remains. This analysis helps to support interpretative data concerning the origins of avian remains in the zooarchaeological and paleontological record, and contributes to the knowledge of a common predator found throughout diverse environments in South America.