Sharing Status and Appropriating Identity:  The Case of the Conselho da Diáspora Portuguesa

Sandi Michele de Oliveira

Sharing Status and Appropriating Identity: The Case of the Conselho da Diáspora Portuguesa

Department of English, Germanic and Romance Studies

Abstract

On 26 December 2012 President Cavaco Silva announced the creation of the Conselho da Diápora Portuguesa, an association of 300 “notable” (notáveis) Portuguese to be individually invited by the Council’s Board. Their function will be to service as lobbyists working to improve the country’s image in the world. In other words, and according to the Council’s President Filipe de Botton, the Conselho da Diáspora Portuguesa will be able to “take advantage of the best that Portugal has to offer outside Portugal.”

Through remittances, Portuguese emigrants have long been a source of economic benefit to their relatives in Portugal as well as to the needs of the Portuguese Government. This initiative, however, is different; here, in addition to direct economic benefits that the Council’s members may provide, their identity itself as successful Portuguese is put into play. Using tools from discourse analysis, this article examines the presentation of the Council and its objectives, as well as the characterization of its members, by Portuguese President Cavaco Silva and Council President Felipe de Botton on the occasion of the Council’s establishment, with comparisons to Cavaco Silva’s speeches on the Day of Portugal, Camões and the Portuguese Communities (10 June 2013). The study focuses specifically on strategies of legitimization and delegitimization of Portuguese transnationals.

Original language	English
Journal	Interdisciplinary Journal of Portuguese Diaspora Studies
Volume	2
Pages (from-to)	61-76
ISSN	2325-3991
Publication status	Published - 2013

Keywords

Faculty of Humanities
identity
discourse
citizenship
legitimization
status

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http://portuguese-diaspora-studies.com/index.php/ijpds/article/view/101/123

Cite this

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title = "Sharing Status and Appropriating Identity: The Case of the Conselho da Di{\'a}spora Portuguesa",

abstract = "On 26 December 2012 President Cavaco Silva announced the creation of the Conselho da Di{\'a}pora Portuguesa, an association of 300 “notable” (not{\'a}veis) Portuguese to be individually invited by the Council{\textquoteright}s Board. Their function will be to service as lobbyists working to improve the country{\textquoteright}s image in the world. In other words, and according to the Council{\textquoteright}s President Filipe de Botton, the Conselho da Di{\'a}spora Portuguesa will be able to “take advantage of the best that Portugal has to offer outside Portugal.”Through remittances, Portuguese emigrants have long been a source of economic benefit to their relatives in Portugal as well as to the needs of the Portuguese Government. This initiative, however, is different; here, in addition to direct economic benefits that the Council{\textquoteright}s members may provide, their identity itself as successful Portuguese is put into play. Using tools from discourse analysis, this article examines the presentation of the Council and its objectives, as well as the characterization of its members, by Portuguese President Cavaco Silva and Council President Felipe de Botton on the occasion of the Council{\textquoteright}s establishment, with comparisons to Cavaco Silva{\textquoteright}s speeches on the Day of Portugal, Cam{\~o}es and the Portuguese Communities (10 June 2013). The study focuses specifically on strategies of legitimization and delegitimization of Portuguese transnationals.",

keywords = "Faculty of Humanities, identity, discourse, citizenship, legitimization, status, identitet, diskurs, Statsborgerskab, Legitimitet, status",

author = "{de Oliveira}, {Sandi Michele}",

year = "2013",

language = "English",

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pages = "61--76",

journal = "Interdisciplinary Journal of Portuguese Diaspora Studies",

issn = "2325-3991",

publisher = "published annually in affiliation with Anderson University, USA; Brock University, Canada; and The University of British Columbia, Canada",

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AU - de Oliveira, Sandi Michele

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N2 - On 26 December 2012 President Cavaco Silva announced the creation of the Conselho da Diápora Portuguesa, an association of 300 “notable” (notáveis) Portuguese to be individually invited by the Council’s Board. Their function will be to service as lobbyists working to improve the country’s image in the world. In other words, and according to the Council’s President Filipe de Botton, the Conselho da Diáspora Portuguesa will be able to “take advantage of the best that Portugal has to offer outside Portugal.”Through remittances, Portuguese emigrants have long been a source of economic benefit to their relatives in Portugal as well as to the needs of the Portuguese Government. This initiative, however, is different; here, in addition to direct economic benefits that the Council’s members may provide, their identity itself as successful Portuguese is put into play. Using tools from discourse analysis, this article examines the presentation of the Council and its objectives, as well as the characterization of its members, by Portuguese President Cavaco Silva and Council President Felipe de Botton on the occasion of the Council’s establishment, with comparisons to Cavaco Silva’s speeches on the Day of Portugal, Camões and the Portuguese Communities (10 June 2013). The study focuses specifically on strategies of legitimization and delegitimization of Portuguese transnationals.

AB - On 26 December 2012 President Cavaco Silva announced the creation of the Conselho da Diápora Portuguesa, an association of 300 “notable” (notáveis) Portuguese to be individually invited by the Council’s Board. Their function will be to service as lobbyists working to improve the country’s image in the world. In other words, and according to the Council’s President Filipe de Botton, the Conselho da Diáspora Portuguesa will be able to “take advantage of the best that Portugal has to offer outside Portugal.”Through remittances, Portuguese emigrants have long been a source of economic benefit to their relatives in Portugal as well as to the needs of the Portuguese Government. This initiative, however, is different; here, in addition to direct economic benefits that the Council’s members may provide, their identity itself as successful Portuguese is put into play. Using tools from discourse analysis, this article examines the presentation of the Council and its objectives, as well as the characterization of its members, by Portuguese President Cavaco Silva and Council President Felipe de Botton on the occasion of the Council’s establishment, with comparisons to Cavaco Silva’s speeches on the Day of Portugal, Camões and the Portuguese Communities (10 June 2013). The study focuses specifically on strategies of legitimization and delegitimization of Portuguese transnationals.

KW - Faculty of Humanities

KW - identity

KW - discourse

KW - citizenship

KW - legitimization

KW - status

KW - identitet

KW - diskurs

KW - Statsborgerskab

KW - Legitimitet

KW - status

M3 - Journal article

SN - 2325-3991

VL - 2

SP - 61

EP - 76

JO - Interdisciplinary Journal of Portuguese Diaspora Studies

JF - Interdisciplinary Journal of Portuguese Diaspora Studies

ER -

Sharing Status and Appropriating Identity: The Case of the Conselho da Diáspora Portuguesa

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Keywords

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