Reframing Portugal’s past through culture, memory, and the Lusophone imagination

In this thought-provoking episode, host Justin West is joined by Dr Andrew João Carvalho Nunes, an interdisciplinary scholar exploring how Portugal remembers — and sometimes forgets — its complex past.

From monuments and graffiti to Fado under Salazar, Justin and Andrew unpack how art, politics, and heritage continue to shape Portuguese identity across Portugal, Brazil, and the wider Lusophone world. Together, they examine what it means to “decolonise” culture, reinterpret national myths, and build a more honest relationship with history.

An essential conversation for anyone interested in Portuguese culture, postcolonial memory, and the evolving sense of Lusophone identity.

For further reading and links Andrews work please follow this link.

Portuguese Representations of 1950s American Rock ’n’ Roll (Sub)Culture: Luso-Retro, to be published by Cambridge Scholars in late 2025

Correction:

Andrew is aware that he mistakenly said Afonso II was married to Philippa of Lancaster and that one of their children was Vasco da Gama. He meant that João I was married to Philippa and that one of their children was Henry the Navigator (Infante D. Henrique). Andrew has recognised this error himself and contacted the podcast to ensure the correction is noted.