Portuguese Journal of Social Science - Current Issue

This article examines the transformation of the Barcelos rooster from a Portuguese national emblem into a hybrid cultural symbol in postcolonial Macau. Originally associated with rural and Catholic values during Portugal’s New State (Estado Novo) regime, the rooster has been recontextualized following Macau’s handover to China in 1999, emerging as a symbol of Macau’s hybrid identity as a Special Administrative Region (SAR). Incorporated into tourism and branding strategies, the rooster exemplifies cultural adaptation and commodification processes. Drawing on theoretical frameworks of cultural memory, hybridity and material culture, this study underscores how Macau utilizes its colonial heritage to position itself as a cultural and economic bridge between China and Portuguese-speaking countries. Through ethnographic fieldwork between 2012 and 2024, the article analyses the rooster’s evolving role in tourism imagery while critically engaging with the selective appropriation of colonial legacies. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of how historical symbols are reconfigured within postcolonial identity formations.

This study aims to analyse, through a case study, how European higher education alliances involving Portuguese public institutions reflect the European integration process and operationalize related concepts in their mission and strategic documents. Using a qualitative case study approach, we analyse the content of key institutional documents – particularly their mission statements, produced by the selected alliances. Through a thematic content analysis, we identify core themes and sub-themes such as ‘Governance, Mobility’, ‘Digitalization’, ‘Research and Innovation’, ‘The European Market’ and ‘European Citizenship’. These dimensions offer analytical insights into the values, strategies and objectives, articulated by the alliance, as well as how they position themselves externally and differ among each other. Our findings suggest that the concern for building a common European identity among the different members of the alliances is a central aspect of these institutions, which materializes mainly at the symbolic level, i.e., in the reinforcement of European values.