A diáspora portuguesa como prioridade da política externa de Portugal: entre o discurso e a prática

• Main Author: Pedro Ponte e Sousa
• Format: Article
• Language: Portuguese
• Published: Universidade do Porto 2017-06-01
• Series: História - Revista da Faculdade de Letras da Universidade do Porto
• Subjects: Portuguese foreign policy; diaspora; Portuguese communities abroad; language and culture promotion
• Online Access: http://ojs.letras.up.pt/index.php/historia/article/view/2715/2501

In this article, we will look into the relationship between the Portuguese communities abroad and the Portuguese state (i.e., the country of origin). Considering foreign policy (FP) specifically and the relationship between its structure and existing migration flows, we seek to analyse the role of Portuguese communities on the FP of the country of origin. That is, understand the relationship 'home state-expatriates' under the state's point of view, as Portuguese communities are a prime element in Portuguese FP and assesses the various policies to promote and strengthen these ties with the Portuguese diaspora around the world. The text is structured as it follows: firstly, a brief theoretical and conceptual framework; secondly, we will evaluate whether the policies for Portuguese communities appear to display party-political cleavages (whether there are significant differences between the proposals presented by governments composed of different political groups); at the end, we will offer some suggestions for a possible strengthening of relations with the Portuguese communities, while at the same time we explore both the advantages and the risks of such a choice of policy.