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English version

Revolutions happen when a general, growing awareness begins to develop that many of the social, economic, and political institutions as we know them are no longer suited to the needs that Change has imposed, becoming increasingly clumsy in terms of their suitability to face the Global dynamics that they themselves, at least in part, have created.

This feeling of maladaptation, we may consider, could describe the current feeling regarding the idea of development and global social justice.

We are currently living a moment of radical changes in the way of thinking, but they are still very much trapped in conservative and resistant perspectives, which raise/allow too modest changes. The old paradigm has created the pathway for Change but is reluctant to release it.

In fact, the referential framework of globalisation has undergone successive reformatting, particularly over the last half century. The analyses have, over this time, gained unexpected and important ground because of social and cultural change and development but, above all, because of the economic development that the various regions of the world have undergone.

In this race, the processes of Globalisation, which promised to be comprehensive and positive, and which, in the logic of its expansion, proposed to expand the possibilities of knowledge, solidarity and social justice, which promised expectations of better lives, remain very partial.

In this race, struggles have faced various obstacles and promises are slow to be fulfilled.

This plenary aims to present some of the paths that the various actors of the so-called Global South, namely social movements, have taken to face these challenges and resist the advance of global social inequity.

Portuguese version 

As revoluções acontecem quando se começa a desenvolver uma consciência geral, crescente, de que muitas das instituições sociais, económicas e políticas, tal como as conhecemos, já não se adequam às necessidades que a Mudança tem vindo a impor, tornando-se cada vez mais desajeitadas no que concerne à sua adequação para enfrentarem a dinâmica Global que elas próprias, pelo menos em parte, criaram.

Este sentimento de desadaptação, podemos considerar, poderia descrever o sentimento atual relativo à ideia de desenvolvimento e justiça social global.

Vivemos presentemente um momento de mudanças radicais de pensamento, mas que estão ainda muito presas em perspetivas conservadoras e resistentes, que suscitam/permitem alterações demasiado modestas. O velho paradigma criou as vias para a Mudança, mas reluta em libertá-la.

Na verdade, o quadro referencial da globalização tem sofrido reformatações sucessivas, em especial ao longo do último meio século. As análises foram, ao longo desse tempo, ganhando terrenos inesperados e importantes, fruto da mudança e do desenvolvimento social e cultural, mas, sobretudo, fruto do desenvolvimento económico por que passaram as várias regiões do mundo.

Nesta corrida, os processos de Globalização, que se prometia abrangente e positivo, e que, na lógica da sua expansão se propunha ampliar as possibilidades de conhecimento, solidariedade e justiça social; que prometia expectativas de vidas melhores, continuam muito parciais.

Nesta corrida, as lutas têm enfrentado diversos obstáculos e as promessas tardam em cumprir-se.

Este plenário visa apresentar alguns caminhos que os diversos atores do chamado Sul Global, nomeadamente os movimentos sociais, têm encetado para fazer face a esses desafios e resistir ao avanço da iniquidade social global. 

Speakers:

Phoebe Mbasalaki - Professor of Gender and Sexuality, University of Essex.

Thula Pires - Professora de Direito Constitucional, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio)

Moderation:

Odair Barros-Varela - Professor of Political Science and International Relations, University of Cape Verde.

Países de língua portuguesa no 50º aniversário da independência

Este painel pretende assinalar os 50 anos de independência dos países africanos de língua portuguesa a partir do diálogo entre a academia e o sector da cooperação para o desenvolvimento.

Em primeiro lugar, pretende-se reavaliar o legado das lutas anti-coloniais e dos movimentos de libertação, entendidos como movimentos políticos, sociais e culturais que propuseram os seus modelos de desenvolvimento para os países africanos.

Em segundo lugar, os oradores serão convidados a apresentar as suas perspectivas sobre os principais desafios económicos, políticos, culturais e sociais enfrentados por estes países nos últimos 50 anos. Em particular, o painel pretende abordar o impacto das crises económicas e sociais, de âmbito nacional, regional e global, no desenvolvimento equitativo e sustentável destas sociedades, bem como os avanços e impasses no processo de democratização dos Estados africanos pós-coloniais.

Discutirá igualmente a participação e o papel dos diferentes intervenientes na resposta aos desafios actuais e futuros, como as comunidades rurais e as organizações da sociedade civil.

Portuguese speaking countries in the 50th anniversary of independence

This panel aims to mark the 50 years of independence of Portuguese-speaking African countries based on the dialogue between academia and the development cooperation sector.

First, it intends to reassess the legacy of anti-colonial struggles and liberation movements, understood as political, social and cultural movements that proposed their development models for African countries.

Second, speakers will be invited to present their perspectives on the main economic, political, cultural and social challenges faced by these countries during the last 50 years. In particular, the panel intends to address the impact of economic and social crises, of national, regional and global scope, on the equitable and sustainable development of these societies, as well as the advances and impasses in the democratisation process of post-colonial African States.

It will also discuss the involvement and role of different actors in addressing current and future challenges, such as rural communities and civil society organisations.

Speakers:

Patrícia Gomes Godinho - Senior Programme Officer, CODESRIA/Professora de Estudos de Gênero, Pós Graduação em Estudos Étnicos e Africanos/PósAfro,UFBA

Gabriela Cohen - Vice Presidente do Conselho Directivo da ADRA

Gabriel Fernandes - Reitor da Universidade de Santiago, Cabo-Verde

Moderation:

Iolanda Évora - Psicóloga Social, Investigadora do CEsA/ISEG, ULisboa.

Emerging questions include: What is the core crisis? Are developing countries experiencing one polycrisis or many separate crises? What is cause and what is a symptom? Is this likely to be a long crisis? Can it be fixed? Is it a crisis of capitalism, a crisis of governance or a crisis of ideas or simply the ongoing day-to-day crisis for many of the world’s population? In short, whose crisis is it? Who frames the crisis cause and solutions? Will there be a final collapse or a long period of dystopia, dysfunctions and suffering for millions of people?

This plenary will focus on the study of development in this turbulent time: How can development studies respond to the frequent, interconnected and mutually reinforcing crises the world is facing, and is likely to face in years to come? How do different approaches in development studies contribute to our understanding of crises and what to do about them? How can these approaches help analyse and understand the idea of crisis differently? Are these interpretations in tension or are they complementary? Will development studies be able to prove that is truly inter- and trans-disciplinary and contribute to the understanding of policy and governance challenges in the Global South? 

In summary: what is development studies for, and what can it contribute, in the age of crises?

Chair: Andy Sumner, EADI President

Speakers:

Karina Batthyány, Executive Secretary of the Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO)

Eun Mee Kim, President of Ewha Womans University, representing the Asian Political and International Studies Association (APISA)

Dr. Sebeka Richard Plaatje, President of the South African Development Studies Association (SADSA)

Arief Anshory Yusuf, President Indonesian Regional Science Association