Communication: Identity and identities in Portugal

Abstract

Portugal’s stabilization and entrance in the European Union in 1986 changed substantially, the socioeconomic characteristics in force there, allowing greater social mobility anchored on the expasion of a middle cjass that is based in metropolitan coastal cities. Simultaneously, the country is witnessing as amassment of the school system (including in higher education), a restructuring process in the industries, contracting and subcontracting of economic processes that promote new occupations and means of work. The privatization of the media and the inauguration, already back in the 1990's,of two private television channels are factors that are inserted in this context. Within ten years, the communication and information panorama were radically changed in Portugal.The strategies inherent to the Public Service conception (regardless of its vices and dependencies) are substituted by business competition and consumption strategies.Since these phenomena may be generalized to Europe as a whole and are inherent to economic and symbolic globalization, they are seen with much apprehension by a few sectors of the Portuguese intellectuals due to how quickly the processes have been taking place.