ABSTRACT: 

 

Disseminating the Memory of the Portuguese Self-Management Movement (1974): Developing a DigitalCollection Based on "O Combate" and "Diário de Lisboa".

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Is it possible to develop a digital collection that does not merely archive asocial movement, but rather encapsulates its inherent dynamism andhistorical fluidity? The core question is whether such a collection can bedesigned as more than a static repository—can it, instead, developmechanisms to critically reactivate the social movement within itscontemporary scope?

 

This paper addresses those questions by developingthe first digital collection dedicated to the memory of Portuguese self-management in 1974.Developed through Omeka S, the central goal is not merely to preservedocumentary heritage, but to revive the social movement by making itsmemory critically accessible and reactivating it in the present. Currently, thememory of this period is scattered across the national digital landscape,decontextualised and difficult to access. This digital collection seeks tocounteract this fragmentation by offering a structured, critical gateway to thepast. Anchored in the analysis of the periodical press—with particularemphasis on newspapers such as "O Combate" and "Diário de Lisboa"—thecollection contextualises the discourse and practice of self-managementwithin the broader revolutionary fabric. Guided by the theoreticalintersection of Digital Humanities and contemporary critical archival studies,the project ensures rigorous digital preservation while enabling the memory's"critical reactivation."

 

The result is a collection in motion: a dynamicrepository that combats the crystallisation of memory.By combining historical research with digital tools, this project ensures thatthe legacy of Portuguese self-management does not become a static artefact,but remains a source of inspiration and critical reflection for contemporarysocial movements. This leads to a broader theoretical consideration: do themethodologies of Digital Humanities offer a viable pathway towards a form ofhistorically reactive history, one capable of leveraging its digital tools to resistthe inevitable sedimentation of the past?