R - Teses de Doutoramento / Doctoral Theses
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- Racionalidade e socialização : o fator ritual nas propostas filosóficas de Richard Rorty e Alasdair MacIntyrePublication . Galvão, Artur Emanuel Ilharco; Sumares, Manuel GonçalvesThe aim of this thesis is to tackle what can be called the Hegelian problem. With the dissolution of the great philosophical systems, one question has gained particular prominence in reflections on rationality. Is it possible to reconcile historicism and objectivity without a philosophy of history? In other words, is the awareness that human beings are always located in the historical 'here and now' compatible with the defence of universal and necessary knowledge? Answers have usually consisted of choosing one side. For example, Nietzsche, Kuhn and Feyerabend favour the former, compromising the possibility of objectivity. For this, they are accused of relativism and irrationalism. Carnap, Popper and Quine opted for the side of objectivity, jeopardising the historicity of thought and, as a result, seem to fall into scientism. Richard Rorty and Alasdair MacIntyre opt for the historicist side. However, they believe that this choice does not compromise them to the point of becoming relativists or irrationalists. Rorty solves the dilemma by replacing objectivity with solidarity and MacIntyre by assuming that it is possible to develop criteria for objective justification based on local contexts. This paper aims to analyse how Rorty’s and MacIntyre's solutions were developed and to assess their success. To do this, I will use what I call the ritual factor as a reading key. This, with its components of praxis, repetition and play, allows us to give rationality a different framework from the one provided by modernity, particularly by the Enlightenment. In my reading, Rorty and MacIntyre develop an embodied rationality, greatly influenced by Wittgenstein's thought. The ritual factor will allow us to understand the connection it has with the biological and sociological dimensions of humanity. It will therefore be possible to argue that rationality is both a third-person phenomenon (which can be studied observationally) and a second-person phenomenon (resulting from the relationships that exist in the communitarian we). This is the thesis I have developed from my research. Although they start from the same premises, Rorty and MacIntyre develop them differently, so their conclusions are basically antagonistic. Much of the interest of studying these two authors lies precisely in this fact, because their confrontation will enhance our understanding of various nuances of rationality.
- Anatomia da Revolução Brasileira : um estudo sobre o 15 de novembro de 1889Publication . Garschagen, Bruno Meirelles; Coutinho, José João Freitas Barbosa PereiraThis doctoral thesis presents a reinterpretation of the republican military coup carried out on November 15, 1889, as a modern revolution, rather than a simple military coup that overthrew the monarchy and was led by dissatisfied elites. The central argument is that this event represented a profound institutional, political, and social transformation in Brazil, aligning it with the key elements of modern revolutions, as discussed by theorists such as Hannah Arendt, Edmund Burke, Alexis de Tocqueville, and Crane Brinton. The thesis proposes a revision of the traditional historiography, which generally portrays November 15 as a mere regime change. Instead, the thesis frames it as a revolution that broke with the monarchical order, establishing a new political framework based on republican ideals such as popular sovereignty, federalism, and political representation. The work integrates a multidisciplinary approach, combining political theory with a historical analysis of primary sources, including official documents, correspondence, and periodicals of the time. The thesis follows a comprehensive literature review, drawing on classical and modern revolution theorists. It also incorporates a detailed historical analysis, using primary sources to reconstruct the events leading up to the coup and the revolution and comparing them with other revolutions, such as the French, American, Russian, and Chinese Revolutions. The work is structured in three parts, focusing on theoretical concepts of revolution, a case study of the Brazilian Revolution of 1889, and its long-term consequences. In conclusion, we argue that November 15, 1889, was a revolution that broke with the monarchical order, installing a republican regime that reshaped Brazil's politics, society, and national identity. The research offers a critical reassessment of the revolutionary nature of November 15, contributing to broader discussions about the role of revolutions in building modern societies and Brazil's place in this context.
- A união bancária e o paradigma da estabilidade : crise financeira e regulaçãoPublication . Pina, Carlos Manuel Costa; Martins, Patrícia FragosoThe European Banking Union (EBU) confronts its roots in the post-2008 financial crisis, its systemic intentionality visible in the new regulatory frontiers opened since then at international and EU levels, and the paradigm of stability as an idiosyncratic feature of the European integration. However, just as it is not possible to understand the intentionality of the EBU without acknowledging the crisis, it is also not possible to understand it disconnected from the integration model and its stabilizing purpose within the framework of the available solidarity, nor detached from bank-sovereign systemic relations and cross-border activities of financial institutions. In this sense, the research discusses whether the EBU, in its configuration, structure and instruments, accomplishes the purpose of systemic stabilization, identifies the potential factors of functional disability, and the ways for them to be overcome. In addition, three important assumptions are considered: (i) the stabilizing limitations of the European integration model; (ii) the inherent (idiosyncratic) instability of the financial system; and (iii) the artificiality of the boundaries between the latter (stricto sensu) and public finance, determining the two-way contagion (bank-sovereign) that EBU intends to address. For this purpose, the (potential) stabilizing objective of the EBU in its three functions and respective instruments is also assessed: crisis prevention, management, and extinction, given its connection to those assumptions. Crisis prevention answers, e.g., to the inherent fragility of the financial system, crisis management highlights the stabilizing limitations of EU integration, and crisis extinction, in the same vein, exposes the artificiality of the boundaries.
- O teólogo no país das maravilhas : formas narrativas e imagens teológicas em "Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”Publication . Vasconcelos, Miguel Maria Sousa Rego de Cabedo e; Boas, Alex Vicentim VillasThis dissertation reads Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland as a “laboratory of meaning” where Literature, Philosophy, and Theology intersect in a fruitful dialogue. Part One develops a literary approach (focused on the author, the text, and the reader), situating Lewis Carroll within the Victorian context and analyzing the work from structural and narratological perspectives, considering the status of the narrator, the spatio-temporal configuration, and concentrating on three central thematic axes: identity transition, curiosity/wonder, and language/nonsense. Methodologically, it rests on an interdisciplinary framework (developmental psychology, dialogical philosophy, theory of language), always anchored in the text. Part Two attempts a theological hermeneutic of Alice’s images, mapping scenes and identifying what may serve as theological loci. It also proposes a typology of faith experience in several characters – Alice, the White Rabbit, the Caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, the Queen of Hearts – culminating in a contribution toward what may become a “Theology of literary nonsense,” where inversion, paradox, and apparent illogic train the imagination and, with it, the intelligentia fidei. It concludes that Carrollian nonsense – closer to an alternative sense than to mere senselessness – reveals formative and evangelizing potential by accustoming the reader to sustaining ambiguities and maturing identity, as dramatized in Alice’s final emancipatory gesture.
- The influence of gesture in saxophone musical performance and audience perception : a multimodal analysisPublication . Moura, Nádia Margarida Trindade; Serra, Ana Sofia Almeida Sá; Vilas-Boas, João PauloBody movement plays a key role in music performance. Performers’ gestures not only relate to instrumental manipulation and technical proficiency but also reflect expressive and communicative aspects, essential to achieving meaningful musical interpretations. Despite the growing body of research on instrumental motor behaviour, its scope remains limited, particularly for certain instruments. To effectively integrate these principles into instrumental education, more robust scientific foundations are required. Framed within the embodied music cognition paradigm, this thesis explored the processes of gesture-making in saxophone performance with the aim of understanding how these can be consciously used to improve performance. Adopting a multimodal, multi-perspective approach, we conducted a series of studies including quantitative and qualitative data derived from both objective motion, video and audio recordings, and subjective perceptions of performers (interviews) and the audience (questionnaires). The empirical part of this thesis comprises three blocks: performative gesture analysis, performers’ perception, and audience perception. “Performative gesture analysis” presents four studies: the first two present video-based observational movement analyses performed to delimit and quantify recurrent gestures among saxophone players; the third and fourth studies present detailed kinematic analyses of knee flexion and dynamic postural sway, relating them with the performed music. “Performers’ perception” features one interview study conducted to explore performers’ perspectives, experiences, and habits. “Audience perception” introduces two audience perception studies: the first compared expressive movement to no movement and assessed the efficiency of four motion visual displays in communicating expressiveness; the second investigated how the quantity and quality of expressive motion influence participants’ evaluation of negatively and positively valenced music performances. This investigation presents novel insights on the role of gesture in saxophone performance, relating them to existing literature on other instruments. It also expands the knowledge of the cognitive and motor processes involved in music experience.
- Contours of resiliences : cimate futures reimagined in post-disaster PhilippinesPublication . Ambulo, Brian Jay de Lima; Silva, Ana Luísa dos Santos Diniz daThe escalating climate crises, coupled with entrenched systemic inequalities and fragmented development approaches, have propelled the discourse of resilience into prominence, particularly concerning marginalised communities within the Global South. The concern, then, is not whether resilience is possible but how it can be conceptualised to honour the agency of those most affected. My central question arises from this very challenge: How can potentials for resilient places and communities in post-disaster settings be navigated when evaluating co-developments between environmental changes and everyday human and more-than-human creative practices? This dissertation reimagines resilience by critically examining the intersections of extractive colonial legacies, socio-ecological transformations, placemaking, and development trajectories in a post-disaster Philippines. It interrogates how global power imbalances, embedded in colonial histories, continue to shape material and immaterial landscapes, perpetuating inequalities and marginalising pluralistic epistemologies. These colonial residues continue to shape modern development paradigms that prioritise exploitative growth, driving anthropogenic climate change and the increasing likelihood of future disasters. Through an investigation of island spatialities and placemaking practices in Siargao Island, the research uncovers the complex interdependencies between humans and more-than-humans, advocating for development approaches incorporating local knowledge systems and ecological commingling. I offer a manifesto that tinkers and fiddles with elements of unorthodox views yet situated practices, radical opinions yet lived experiences, creatively reshaping our interlinkages and interrelationships with our home, our ecologies, our economies, and our selves. It posits that the essence of resilience transcends survival or adaptability; it encapsulates a transformation of culture and nature, thereby engendering spaces and communities that are not fleeting and volatile, but enduring and flourishing.
- A whole-school approach to the promotion of psychological health and well-being, from pupils to headteachers : contributions to a universal screening process in schoolsPublication . Cunha, Maria do Rosário de Valadares Serrão Brito da; Andrés, Ana; Bowe, Mhairi; Dias, Pedro; Sumich, AlexPupils’ psychological health and well-being difficulties are a contemporary international concern, being schools an ideal context to identify and support these issues. School-based well-being intervention approaches currently privilege the Multi-Tiered System of Support model (MTSS) as an approach to support psychological health and well-being in tiers of response. One of the key components of this model is the using universal screening to make data-informed decisions, highlighting its potential for early identification of psychological health needs and strengths. However, this approach’s advantages typically benefit only pupils since most educational settings neither regularly survey their staff’s wellbeing nor engage in organisational well-being support practices for school employees. Concurrently, in different countries, teachers, headteachers and non-teaching staff progressively report increased stress, burnout, depression, and anxiety. Particularly related to teachers, the spotlight on their psychological health increased as well after the COVID-19 pandemic. The present doctoral research aimed to contribute to a whole-school approach to the promotion of psychological health and wellbeing, from pupils to headteachers, focusing specifically on the school-based universal well-being screening (SUWS) process in secondary schools. Two interconnected studies were conducted. The first study explored the perceptions of two panels of school professionals (one in Portugal with 9 participants and one in the UK with 8 participants) on the usability, appropriateness, and acceptability of the SUWS for pupils and school staff. A Policy Delphi technique was used with two rounds of data collection starting with individual interviews and finishing with a questionnaire. Participants in both countries had a positive perception of the social validity of the SUWS, considering it appropriate, usable, and acceptable by different stakeholders to be conducted in schools, both for pupils and school staff. Participants did though mention that it would be more challenging to have parental acceptability. Procedural considerations to increase the buy-in of the stakeholders were also explored, such as having clear communication with the school community about the process, its possible benefits and who would oversee data analysis. Also, within the first study, a reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse individual interviews focused on well-being priorities mentioned by participants for pupils and school staff through the lenses of the social identity approach to health. Results point to the importance given by participants on social indicators of psychological health and well-being. Three themes were defined: (i) the school community as a site for social interaction and connection; (ii) the power of social support; (iii) reinforcing the need for social belonging and group memberships. Through this analysis, the decision was made to include social indicators in the SUWS in the second study (social identity and social support). The second study aimed to conduct an initial validation of universal school-based screening tools for students’ well-being (in the 3rd cycle), their teachers, headteachers, and non-teaching staff in Portuguese schools. Only results referring to the universal screening for pupils are presented within this doctoral thesis. Following a dual-factor model of mental health, the proposed tool was constituted of different tools that collected information on key indicators of school subjective well-being and psychological difficulties. An adaptation to the Portuguese language and internal structure validation was conducted on the following tools: Student Subjective Wellbeing Questionnaire (Renshaw et al., 2015); Youth Internalizing+Externalizing Problems Screener (Renshaw & Cook, 2018a, 2019; Weeks et al., 2022); Group Identification Scale (Sani et al., 2015); Social Support scale (McNamara et al., 2021). A sample of 942 pupils in the secondary school (3rd cycle in Portugal) was split into two subsamples: subsample 1 (n= 453) for EFA and subsample 2 for CFA (n= 489). Results pointed to adequate psychometric properties of the tools in Portugal, however, changes had to be made in the original structure of SSWQ and YIEPS. In SSWQ one item was deleted in the Portuguese version, and another item was put with a different factor from the original version. In YIEPS, items pertaining to attention problems were deleted, and the final preferred model only included internalising and conduct problems. Altogether, results from the first study support the use of SUWS in schools and can help guide policies and practices on implementing SUWS and potentially improving whole-school well-being supports, as well as showed the importance of incorporating social indicators of health in SUWS efforts; results from the second study showed that the adapted tools can be used in Portuguese schools with the suggested adaptations for interpretation of scores. Further research is necessary on the technical adequacy of the chosen tools in Portuguese samples (e.g., test-retest reliability). This research is aligned with a perspective of service delivery reform through universal screening in school psychology, reinforcing a preventive approach and promoting psychological health and well-being. Suggestions for future research are proposed in the discussion section.
- Merecimento e tomada de decisão no acesso ao apoio social : perspetivas de profissionais de primeira linha e da opinião pública sobre pessoas com comportamentos aditivos e dependênciasPublication . Caetano, Ana Paula Pereira; Mónico, Lisete; Santos, Clara Maria Rodrigues Cruz SilvaThe present study examines perceptions of welfare deservingness in Portugal, focusing on individuals with addictive behaviors and dependencies. Based on the concept of welfare deservingness as a set of ethical and moral criteria that legitimize access to social benefits, the study explores how the perceptions of street-level bureaucrats and public opinion influence the implementation and acceptance of social policies, particularly in the context of people with addictive behaviors and dependencies. With a mixed methodological approach, Study I, of a qualitative nature, used semi-structured interviews with 20 street-level bureaucrats, analyzing the welfare deservingness criteria and ethical challenges in decision-making. Study 2, of a quantitative nature, was based on a sample of 1056 citizens and included the validation of the Welfare Deservingness Perception Protocol, allowing for the assessment of public attitudes toward welfare deservingness criteria. The results of Study I revealed tensions between objective criteria and subjective judgments, highlighting the impact of discretion in determining access to social support. Significant ethical challenges were also identified, such as the balance between social justice and institutional limitations, highlighting the need to empower social workers (e.g. supervision and training) and 10 promote institutional changes 10 combat stigma and prejudice. In Study 2, the criteria of need and reciprocity were widely accepted, while those of entitlement and equality generated more division. Social concern emerged as a significant predictor of welfare deservingness, particularly in access 10 healthcare, with limited impact on social support, where stigmas remain deeply rooted. The results suggest that access to healthcare for people with addictive behaviors and dependencies is more publicly accepted than access to social support. The research offers significant contributions to the field of Social Work by integrating theoretical and practical perspectives on welfare deservingness, highlighting the crucial role of social workers and public narratives in building more inclusive and fair social policies. It also fosters critical debates on resource redistribution and equity.
- Economic freedom in the European UnionPublication . Domingos, Inês Carmelo Rosa Calado Lopes; Alves, André AzevedoEconomic freedom, denoting the ability to choose among limited resources to satisfy one's needs, constitutes a fundamental, albeit sometimes overlooked, aspect of human freedom. Economic freedom has played a pivotal role throughout the evolution of the European Union. However, in the aftermath of the pandemic, indices of economic freedom have registered a decline both in Europe and globally, due in part to fears over security. However, this is a cause for concern, not only due to the intrinsic value of economic freedom, but also because it has been demonstrated to foster prosperity and to support the quality of democracies. The focus of this thesis is twofold. Firstly, I have constructed a model to ascertain whether economic freedom has contributed to the quality of democracy in the EU, using panel data spanning from 2002 to 2020 across 26 EU Member States and the UK, and employing standard fixed and random effects models. The findings indicate that the Legal System and Property Rights component of the Fraser Institute Economic Freedom in the World Index positively influences the Freedom in the World Index of the Freedom House, along with its component, the Political Rights Index. Secondly, I have quantified the relative contributions of EU institutions and Member States to economic freedom in the EU. This was achieved by estimating stochastic frontier models for two components of the Economic Freedom of the World Index: Freedom to Trade Internationally, representing EU policy, and Labour Regulation, representing Member States' policies, using a panel of data between 2000 and 2020 in EU Member States and the UK. I also developed an indicator of economic freedom in the EU by analysing the gaps between the frontiers and inefficiency estimates for these two indices. The conclusion drawn is that while EU institutions remain a force for freedom in areas within their competence, this role has somewhat diminished over the past two decades.
- The influence of gesture in saxophone musical performance and audience perception : a multimodal analysisPublication . Margarida Trindade Moura , Nádia; Serra, Ana Sofia Almeida Sá; Vilas-Boas, João PauloBody movement plays a key role in music performance. Performers’ gestures not only relate to instrumental manipulation and technical proficiency but also reflect expressive and communicative aspects, essential to achieving meaningful musical interpretations. Despite the growing body of research on instrumental motor behaviour, its scope remains limited, particularly for certain instruments. To effectively integrate these principles into instrumental education, more robust scientific foundations are required. Framed within the embodied music cognition paradigm, this thesis explored the processes of gesture-making in saxophone performance with the aim of understanding how these can be consciously used to improve performance. Adopting a multimodal, multi-perspective approach, we conducted a series of studies including quantitative and qualitative data derived from both objective motion, video and audio recordings, and subjective perceptions of performers (interviews) and the audience (questionnaires). The empirical part of this thesis comprises three blocks: performative gesture analysis, performers’ perception, and audience perception. “Performative gesture analysis” presents four studies: the first two present video-based observational movement analyses performed to delimit and quantify recurrent gestures among saxophone players; the third and fourth studies present detailed kinematic analyses of knee flexion and dynamic postural sway, relating them with the performed music. “Performers’ perception” features one interview study conducted to explore performers’ perspectives, experiences, and habits. “Audience perception” introduces two audience perception studies: the first compared expressive movement to no movement and assessed the efficiency of four motion visual displays in communicating expressiveness; the second investigated how the quantity and quality of expressive motion influence participants’ evaluation of negatively and positively valenced music performances. This investigation presents novel insights on the role of gesture in saxophone performance, relating them to existing literature on other instruments. It also expands the knowledge of the cognitive and motor processes involved in music experience.