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%0 Thesis
%A Pereira, Paulo Moreira
%T Die Beziehungen der portugiesischsprachigen Staaten untereinander : gemeinsame Vergangenheit, gemeinsame Zukunft?
%I Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen
%V Dissertation
%C Aachen
%M RWTH-2021-10678
%P 1 Online-Ressource : Illustrationen, Diagramme, Karten
%D 2021
%Z Veröffentlicht auf dem Publikationsserver der RWTH Aachen University
%Z Dissertation, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen, 2021
%X There are nations all over the world that share a certain cultural proximity and common history, despite being located on different continents. On the international stage, these shared characteristics play a significant role. As a result, various theorists have attempted to analyse the impact these shared characteristics have had not only on international relations, but also on the world order. Some states have close cultural and historical ties dating back to colonial times, as evidenced primarily by their common or similar languages. There are further cultural ties as religion, legal systems, architecture, customs and habits among others characteristics. It is often assumed that a certain self-evident solidarity exists between these states, which wouldn’t necessarily apply to third countries. In turn, factors such as cultural proximity and shared history are used to justify closer diplomatic relations and promote probably stronger economic ties between these states. Against this backdrop, this dissertation analyses the bilateral relations between the eight different Portuguese-speaking states. Angola, Brazil, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe, and East Timor are countries that are connected in many different ways, primarily as a result of Portugal's colonial rule from the 15th century onward. Today, more than two hundred and eighty million people live within these states, representing approximately 3.7 percent of the world’s population. To understand the current bilateral relations between these states, it is important to examine their colonial history, in addition to their history as independent countries. Moreover, it is necessary to elucidate Portugal's role as a colonial power, and later as a former mother country, in order to understand the ties that have developed between the respective countries. By doing so, we will be able to determine the extent to which their mutual ties were established and the impact these ties have had and continue to have on their current relations. The ties established between these states over the course of time can be characterized by a number of different factors. Most notably, involuntary and voluntary migratory flows have been instrumental in solidifying these ties. Yet, Portuguese-speaking states, despite sharing a common history and cultural proximity, are in themselves quite heterogeneous communities. Their modern-day ties with the former metropolis, and with each other, have been shaped in many different ways; this is largely due to the roles they play in their respective regions. Furthermore, the countries in question have been deeply impacted by post-war dynamics; and they belonged to different allied groups of states from the 1970s. With this in mind, this dissertation examines whether factors such as historical ties and cultural proximity played an important role in shaping their respective foreign policies. Indeed, culture or cultural proximity as a bridge between peoples has not always played a positive role in shaping foreign policy. It was only in the wake of 20th century decolonization efforts, accompanied by a new understanding of the term ‘culture’, that attempts to bring former mother countries and their former colonies closer together have been made. To understand these bilateral relations, it is crucial to examine the overall role that culture has played in international relations. From the 18th century onwards, culture has played a major role in shaping international relations. The emergence of the theory of evolution only exacerbated this trend. Up until the beginning of the 20th century, culture and cultural proximity was not seen as a feature that could build bridges, but rather as something that divided groups of people. Prior to the 20th century, the focus of European colonial powers had been on establishing civilized societies, as the colonized peoples were considered to be uncivilized. It was not until after World War II and the founding of the United Nations that the anthropological approach, which views culture as a universal and diverse phenomenon, gained traction. The perception that culture affects everyone in the world led to intergovernmental relations being recalibrated. Based in part on the notion of cultural proximity, various international organizations comprising former metropolises and their former colonies were established. The objectives of these institutions vary. One of these is the “Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa” (in English: “Community of Portuguese-speaking States”), which was founded in 1996.A number of theories have addressed the role played by cultural proximity and shared history in terms of their impact on bilateral relations. Since the 1970s, in particular, the debate on this issue has become increasingly important. With the end of the Cold War, the topic received even more attention in various analyses dealing with the new world order. Authors, such as Samuel P. Huntington, emphasized the increasingly important role played by cultural proximity in terms of understanding future state alliances. As early as the 1970s, it was Johan Galtung who recognized the key role that culture plays when analysing how power is exercised in intergovernmental relations. Other scholars also drew on this topic to explore economic ties and the process of democratization in various regions around the world. With the aim of exploring the extent to which the Portuguese-speaking states’ common past and cultural proximity play a role in their bilateral relations, the analyses contained in this dissertation have been based on the book "Clash of Civilizations" by Samuel P. Huntington, the gravity model, the effects of cultural proximity on democratization, and the theory of structural imperialism. The theories cited consider the topics of "cultural proximity" and "common history" from various perspectives. Last but not least, historical and economic data was gathered and examined as a means to forecast how relations between these states might develop in the future.
%F PUB:(DE-HGF)11
%9 Dissertation / PhD Thesis
%R 10.18154/RWTH-2021-10678
%U https://publications.rwth-aachen.de/record/835607