Las Universidades Libres y Populares en Portugal y el problema de la cultura popular

Abstract

The movement of Independent and Popular Universities in Portugal is not enough studied if we consider how important it is for Social History and for the History of Education. We have not yet a deep global analysis which enables to consider the evolution of their units, the actions that have started and the meaning of their role compared to popular culture. In the following study, we will try to characterize each Popular or Independent University created in Portugal from the late XIXth century, and give the cultural and political ways of each university, focussing on the most important ones. Therefore, we will aim at observing the main Northern and Central Universities situated in Porto, Lisbon, Setubal and Coimbra, giving their ideological and political direction, and their pedagogical and cultural objectives, the means they use and their promotors' political identity.