On 'Portugueseness' A Semiotic Approach
What is 'Portugueseness' From a constructionist and semiotic perspective, in this paper I deal with this contested and fuzzy concept, which although many criticize as a fallacious attempt do describe a sort of reality that does not exist, is however a meaningful concept that many employ in order to guide social action. As I argue based on the work of Geertz and Eco, 'Portugueseness' needs to be conceived not referentially, but as a discursive entity that refers to a cultural unit that is distinct from other units that are meaningful when mapping the complex continuum of national identities. After discussing the concept from a theoretical perspective, I focus on three of its main dimensions: its meaning, its uses and its content.