Brasil e Portugal: tempos (des)encontrados

Time is a central theme in Eduardo Lourenço’s essays, particularly his reflections on Portuguese and Brazilian temporality. He explores the unique and untranslatable saudade that defines the Portuguese labyrinth of identity, marked by two phases: the realistic identity of a small crusading nation engaged with Europe and the hyper-identity of an imperial dream, isolated as an island-refuge. Lourenço examines the Portuguese tendency to avoid reality and the excess of historical weight—past, eternal present, and identity—that risks overshadowing the concrete present and future. His confrontation with Brazil, initiated in “The Myth of the Luso-Brazilian Community,” delves into the unresolved colonial legacy and divergent interpretations of their shared history. He analyzes self-images, reciprocal perceptions, and the temporalities of both nations, highlighting Brazil’s view of its colonial past as a “non-time” and its need to integrate its Portuguese roots. The cultural distance, contradictions, and points of convergence between the two countries’ temporalities reveal both obstacles and potential paths for reconciliation and meaningful dialogue.