Lecture to give an insight into popular perceptions of Portugal’s dictator

LOWELL - Ever wondered what was going through the minds of ordinary Portuguese citizens during António de Oliveira Salazar’s regime – Europe’s longest dictatorship in the 20th century?

On Wednesday, Feb. 28, you’ll be able to get some insight into their thoughts and feelings with the help of Dr. Duncan Simpson, a Visiting Professor in the Department of Portuguese and Brazilian Studies at Brown University.

Dr. Simpson will be examining more than 400 letters sent spontaneously to the Portuguese dictator by common citizens in the mid-1960s during the lecture ‘O Povo de Salazar’ (Salazar’s People).

“Using the methods of everyday life history and history from below, the letters provide a vivid point of access to the social history of the period (both urban and rural) to the multifaceted popular perceptions of Salazar and to the strategies set in place by the authorities to turn this type of correspondence into an efficient mode of social control at the micro level,” according to a press release.

A research fellow at the Instituto de Ciências Sociais at the University of Lisbon, Portugal, Dr. Duncan earned his doctorate degree at King’s College London, where he examined the relations between the Catholic Church and the Salazar dictatorship for his thesis.

He is the author of two books and book chapters and articles.

Presented by UMass Lowell’s Saab Center for Portuguese Studies in partnership with partnership with the Departments of History and World Languages and Cultures, the lecture will start at 5:15 p.m. at UMass Lowell’s O’Leary Library 528. The event is free and open to the public.

The lecture can also be attended virtually at https://uml.zoom.us/j/91494204706

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Lecture to give insight into popular perceptions of Portugal’s dictator