Revista Lusófona de Estudos Culturais

Lusophone Journal of Cultural Studies was born of both a dream and a necessity. The dream was to gather - from the same epistemological field and in a journal format – the vast amount of research which has been produced in this area, in a diversity of contexts. Despite the diversity of the themes of investigation, contexts, research methods and motivations, several shared characteristics were identified.
Amongst these shared characteristics, in terms of cultural themes, we highlight the idea of complexity (Morin), the emphasis on contextual production, the multi-dimensionality and contingency of knowledge ('the place where we speak'), and above all, the civic and political commitment (participation in the polis), with a view to construct socially relevant knowledge with a commitment to Culture and Democracy.
On the other hand, research in the area of Culture frequently appears to be extremely fluid, and is thus dispersed in a variety of different publications in a diversity of fields, which does not allow for a more systematic and complete source for the vast amount of research that has been conducted in recent years in this area. Thus, there was a necessity to create this journal, the first in Portugal to be specifically dedicated to Cultural Studies.
We are delighted by the establishment of a Doctoral Programme in Cultural Studies, the birthplace of this electronic publication, and with the lecturers and students involved in the programme, who hail from various Lusophone countries, particularly Brazil, Cape Verde, Mozambique and Angola. However, we wish to establish and strengthen links between other academic communities and researchers – both within and outside the Lusophone community.