In the last decade Portugal had three governments with very different political orientations and proposals for the legislative organization of society, each one claiming to initiate a process of transformative politics that would have a positive impact upon Portuguese society. Social policies, legislation on labor, health, education, housing and security have been profoundly altered with each legislative change, impacting in different ways upon the institutions concerned and upon people’s lives. Furthermore, the economic crisis has engendered a crisis in the European model, which are inter-related and reveal a breakdown of social reproduction which puts into question redistribution models both at the macro (market, State), meso (mediating institutions and actors) and micro-scales of social interaction (families, social networks). LIVEPOLITICS focus on the different ways citizens experience the policies which govern their lives in a daily basis, how they implement them and what kind of negotiations can take place in the framework of moral economies. Through a detailed examination of the ways by which specific actors in diverse sectors of society experience legislation and policy orientations through a range of institutions, this project focuses on how perceptions of the legitimacy of policies emerge through policy implementation and negotiation within a wider analytical context of the workings moral economies. The project will focus on: 1) Livelihoods, policies, everyday life strategies; 2) Grassroots economics – definition, value and care regimes, interpretation and ways out of crisis; 3) Public policies, from conception, implementation and impact upon institutions and citizens. The project aims at reflecting on how different sectors of the Portuguese society experience their livelihoods through a permanent relation with state institutions throughout a decade of profound sociopolitical transformations. The strategies to overcome difficulties of provision under an au...

The project "Migrations, Integration and Co-Development in Europe" encourages an intercultural dialogue between civil society organizations and citizens from different countries and living communities in Europe to express their views about EU policies related to migration and asylum and more broadly, about the key priorities and strategic actions needed to face common and current challenges. Through a bottom up approach the project involves citizens and members from civil society organisations, local authorities, educational, cultural or research institutions, town-twinning committees and networks that are active in the migration and asylum field.

Refugees are one of the most striking examples of communities deeply traumatized by persecution anchored in human rights abuses. The possibility of asylum in Portugal, as in Europe, is deeply dependent on the narrative of the experience of trauma experienced in the past. However, little is known about the way themselves, already in the host society perspective themselves in the present and in the future. One of the societal challenges "Horizon 2020" is to "build inclusive, resilient and secure societies". In this context, and given the need for good integration of refugees into Portuguese society (which is to them a political, social and moral commitment) we intend to do research about the following issues: What are the political, bureaucratic and even emotional strategies employed by technicians in the institutions responsible for the integration of refugees? b) What are the strategies of resilience faced by asylum seekers in order to a healthy integration currently in the host societies.

The concept of Care is being used in Anthropology to address situations where deprivation and health problems are dealt with in ways that include, but are not limited to, state provision to citizens (Benda-Beckmann 1988). In the relational existence of daily life, people use care in a broad sense to describe the processes and the sentiments between people who take care of each other in various dimensions of social life and who are not necessarily in need. For the human being as a person, to be, means being with others; taking care and being taken care of, thus implying both a practical and emotional involvement. Care is a motivational disposition to enact moral ideologies of good and right. Thus, it is frequently through the metaphor of 'care' that people express their moral concerns and practices of an ideal existence in a world with deep inequalities and deprived people. Care also has a moral significance: based on concern and dedication it implies the acknowledgment of the other in relation to one's existence thus becoming a constitutive element of social bonding. Bearing this framework in mind, and focusing on the Portuguese example, the project offers an innovative approach which combines the significance of economic factors with an emphasis on phenomenology. How do people respond to crisis situations in order to create sustainable existence for themselves, their significant ones and the world they live in? How do caring practices express or create sentiments of shame, care, dependence, compassion, solidarity, morality, dignity and self-esteem? What are the criteria for choosing to reach out to others: nationality, peer group, kinship, or ideology? How do 'market' or 'material' economic interests intersect with other interests such as creating a sense of belonging, fulfilling a moral duty, taking a political stance, responding to a religious calling, making one's life more meaningful? Portugal is currently undergoing a major social and economic situation of 'cr...

Health and citizenship: intercultural disparities and needs in the health attendance of immigrant mothers

This project focuses on health citizenship of migrant pregnant women, as a first step to enact citizenship rights.

T-SHaRE project intends to improve the organization  of health services to make them more accessible to migrants, to improve  the relation and communication between health professionals, cultural mediators and immigrant Communities, to enhance the migrant's values and  approaches, their knowledge and competences related to health and health care. That means to define, enhance and recognize the expertise of cultural mediation in the health care sector in order to remove forms of exclusion, rejection or misunderstanding that often occur in health services, when the users have  a  hard  time  orienting  themselves  in  a system of signs, interpretations, procedures and interventions that are often distant or disrespectful of their condition and culture.  In particular, today functions and responsibilities of the cultural mediator  in the area of health care are not clearly defined or shared in the Member State and at the European level. This often creates misunderstandings with health care providers and physicians, which affect the intervention. This emerges  particularly  in the complex and delicate area of migrant women's health and mental health, where the health dimension is closely related with the social, cultural, relational, legal and economic dimension:  migrant  women  have  an  higher    index  of neonatal mortality and preterm / low weight births; migrants with psychiatric needs find often difficulties to access to  and to receive psychiatric treatment. Furthermore, immigrants in the EU territory are not  only  users  of  health  services,  but sometimes they have and bring to Europe knowledge, practices, cultural representations of illness and health, medical practices, help relationships, which potentially represent an opportunity for innovation and improvement of European health models for all European citizens. T-SHaRE will then bring out different visions and practices in the field of health and care, with a view to make them talk. The main aims of the...