Regionalisms and Resistance in the Twentieth-Century Portuguese Novel : Spatialized Ideologies

Abstract

Often regarded as a small and homogeneous country, modern Portugal has frequently displayed clear regional tensions, on several ‘axes’: between its capital, Lisbon, and more neglected cities and towns; between its developed coastline and its (noticeably declining) inland villages; between the relatively conservative small-holding communities of the North and the politically radical tenant farmers of the South, amongst others. Examining twentieth-century novelists’ treatment of such geographical precepts leads one to ponder: what relationships exist between ideology and (regional) spaces? Through analysis of narrative fiction, how can one better comprehend the complex geographical grievances and identity politics that are increasingly characterising ideo­logical discourses across Western nations? The novels of Aquilino Ribeiro (1885-1963), Agustina Bessa-Luís (1922-2019), Lídia Jorge (1946-) and José Saramago (1922-2010) all have their part to play, in this quest for greater understanding of Portuguese regionalisms and resistances.