A map of the world that does not include Utopia is not worth glancing at.
Oscar Wilde

Synopsis:

Utopia encompasses the projects Utopia, Orientalismos and Viagens. The issue of utopia structured by the dynamic of voyage established the theoretical approach of the main fields of research.

Utopia has been carrying out research on the topic of utopia in contemporary literature, having in mind the historical transformations of the genre either as semantic model geared towards a critique of present-day reality or as formal model of textuality. The Project aims at analysing the modes of destabilizing narrative processes and the different ways of thinking about Humankind and the World. Also at investigating how contemporary thought idealizes utopia – or, conversely, dystopia. This approach explores aesthetic, cultural and ideological problems raised by utopian discourse, as well as its thematic, psychological and literary-historical underpinnings. 

Orientalismos In the 16th and 17th centuries, the first China and Japan images have been spread out in Europe by Portuguese writing, presenting those places as utopian societies. Since then, the Far East representation – “Orient” - has been a topic. The Macau handover to China opened new issues on the Portuguese Orientalism considered under a postcolonial perspective. Although we intend a general approach on the Portuguese Orientalism question, Macau is an important topic of this project.

Viagens: Based on a theoretical approach of travel writing, this project supports and links the research on Utopia and Orientalismo.

Our objectives include:

• To develop scholarly and cultural experiments in order to probe into the relationships between Utopia, Viagem and Orientalismo and further to encourage the investigation of new methodologies liable to mobilize researchers in different disciplinary fields.
• To link up the Group’s activities to post-graduate study. Interaction with other projects in the field, in particular “Portuguese Utopias” (Univ. Porto), Project ACUME2, coord. Univ. Bologna, and “Macau in writing, writing in Macau” (Univ. São Paulo, Bristol Univ., Firenze Univ., Univ. Macau – RPC).
• To publish a volume addressing new research on utopias which takes into interdisciplinary account the key topics of travelling and orientalism.
  To organise an international conference, in collaboration with the University of Macau and to be held in this University.
  

We have recently enlarged the scope and the intensity of the Project activities. With 4 members at its very beginning and a singular research area, our group has now 14 collaborators covering 3 research fields:

• Utopia - coordination: Lourdes Cancio Martins
• Voyage - coordination: Lourdes Cancio Martins and Ana Paula Laborinho
• Orientalism - coordination: Ana Paula Laborinho

I will briefly outline the project activities in 2008, organized along 4 main areas:

1. Conference, Lecture and Seminar Activities
2. Post-Graduate Research
3. Publications
4. Work in Progress

1. Conference, Lecture and Seminar Activities

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Conference Organisation
Ana Paula Laborinho
- International colloquium MACAO IN WRITING, WRITING IN MACAO, FLUL, 21-22 October 2008.
- International Colloquium CAMILO PESSANHA : ORIENTALISME, EXIL ET ESTHETIQUES FIN-DE-SIECLE, in collaboration with the Université Paris Ouest  Nanterre La Défense, held at this University, 20-21 November 2008.
- Panel: Macau in Writing, Writing in Macau. International Interdisciplinary Conference on MACAU STUDIES: INTERCULTURAL EXCHANGES BETWEEN EAST AND WEST, University of Macau, 25-27 May 2009.
Ana Isabel Moniz and Leonor Martins Coelho
- Organisation of the IXth Gongresso da Associação Internacional de Lusitanistas, held at the University of Madeira, 4-9 August 2008.
We have also participated in other national and international conferences

Seminars
Ana Paula Laborinho
- Graduation Seminar (PhD) on LITERATURE OF  PORTUGUESE INDIA. Everton Machado (Comparative Studies - Université de la Sorbonne, Paris), FLUL, 27th April 2009.
- Graduation Seminar (MA) on CAMILO PESSANHA, POETRY, MUSIC, PAINTING. Barbara Aniello (IHA-Universidade de Lisboa and CESEM- Universidade Nova de Lisboa). Ana Margarida Paixão (Universidade de Lisboa), FLUL, 18th May 2009.
Lourdes Cancio Martins
- Lecture on “Le Clézio, Memory and (Re)invention: the Man, the World and the Book”, Biblioteca Pública e Arquivo Regional de Ponta Delgada – Açores.

Research Meetings:
Lourdes Cancio Martins and Ana Paula Laborinho (on Voyage)
Participation in the Research Team on “Travel and Representation”, coordinated by Gonçalo Vilas-Boas (University of Porto). In 2008, three research meetings have been held (two at the University of Porto, one at University of Lisbon- FLUL). Under the mentioned topic, the Research Team discussed theoretical approaches considering the variety and diversity of travel texts.
Lourdes Cancio Martins (on Utopia)
Participation in ACUME 2 General Meeting, held at Rimini.

2. Post-Graduate Research

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(Lourdes Cancio Martins/Supervision)
- One Doctor dissertation on Utopia completed
- One MA dissertation on Utopia is being carried out
- Post-Doc : Ana Isabel Moniz, research project on Utopia and Travel
Ana Paula Laborinho
- Studies on Orientalism were inserted in the Comparative Studies Master Program.

3. Publications

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- Publication of the proceedings of the International Conference “The Island and the Cultural Maps”, focusing on Utopia and Travelling, Dedalus, 11-12, Lisboa, Edições Cosmos, 2008.
- Publication of the volume focusing on Utopia and Travelling: Lourdes Cancio Martins (coord.), Reler Manuel Alegre – Poética da Viagem, Lisboa, Edições Cosmos, 2008.
- Preparation of the proceedings of Act 18 – Utopia e Ciência.

4. Work in Progress

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- Data-base on Portuguese Orientalism (19e-20e centuries) (2010-2012)
- International Conference on Orientalism (2011)
- Publication of one reader on Portuguese Orientalism (2012).
- Publication dedicated to the Portuguese writer Mário de Carvalho. It is an anthology with critical comment, considering Travelling among other subjects.
- Publication of Dedalus- Poéticas da Persuasão, nº 13, scheduled to 2009.

Team:

• Paula Pires dos Santos
• Helena Ludovice Silva
• Célia Carvalho
• Ana Paula Laborinho
• Ana Isabel Moniz
• Manuel Gusmão
• Leonor Coelho