CESA
CEsA Working Paper analyses the challenges and opportunities of the expansion of the Portuguese continental shelf in the context of a sustainable blue economy
The article seeks to understand the extent to which the extension of the Portuguese continental shelf aligns with the country’s strategic and economic objectives, with particular emphasis on aspects related to the harnessing of its strategic potential
Throughout history, Portugal’s development and affirmation as a country have been closely tied to maritime exploration and dominance. Aware of the economic potential of ocean floors and marine biodiversity, and seeking to strengthen its sovereignty and international recognition, Portugal submitted a proposal on 11 May 2009 to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) to extend its continental shelf beyond the 200 nautical miles. However, the success of this proposal — which intertwines geopolitical, economic, and environmental dimensions — will depend on the country’s ability to balance strategic interests with environmental sustainability, particularly in the context of the blue economy.
CEsA Working Paper No. 203/2025, entitled Marés de Mudança: Portugal e a importância da sua Plataforma Continental (Tides of Change: Portugal and the Importance of Its Continental Shelf), aims to analyse the strategic potential of the continental shelf through two guiding questions: What motivations are driving Portugal’s proposal to expand its continental shelf? And what strategies should be adopted to harness the strategic potential of the Portuguese sea? The publication is authored by Sofia Rocha Pinguinha, who holds a master’s degree in Development and International Cooperation (ISEG – Universidade de Lisboa), and Eduardo Moraes Sarmento, PhD in Economics with a specialisation in Tourism and Professor at ISEG.
Working Paper No. 203/2025 can be downloaded from the CEsA collection, available through the Universidade de Lisboa Repository:
https://repositorio.ulisboa.pt/bitstream/10400.5/100623/1/Pinguinha%20Sofia%20e%20Eduardo%20Sarmento%20WP%20203-2025.pdf
Abstract:
Portugal, known for its historic maritime traditions, is currently immersed in a strategic ambition regarding the expansion of its continental shelf driven by geopolitical, economic and environmental factors, placing the country before a dynamic maritime scenario full of challenges and opportunities. The rise of the blue economy, synonymous with a sustainable economy, redefines the indispensability of the ocean and its centrality in the balance of building the sustainable development that is sought globally (Cristas, 2022). Using a qualitative methodology, the aim is to reflect on the main benefits that Portugal can obtain from the possible approval of the expansion of its continental shelf, by the United Nations Organisation (UNO). The future, according to the National Strategy for the Sea 2021-2030 (República Portuguesa, 2021), should involve defining a strategy, based on a system of alliances, that will allow Portugal to move forward with the sustainable exploitation of the marine resources (Seguro, 2022).
About the authors:
Sofia Rocha Pinguinha holds a Master’s degree in Development and International Cooperation (ISEG – Universidade de Lisboa).
Eduardo Moraes Sarmento holds a PhD in Economics with a specialization in Tourism. He is the coordinator of the Master’s in Development and International Cooperation at ISEG (University of Lisbon), a researcher, president of CEsA, and a member of the Scientific Committee of ISEG Research.
Click here to explore the full collection of CEsA Working Papers
Author: CEsA Communication Team (comunicacao@cesa.iseg.ulisboa.pt)
Image: Reproduction
Working Paper 203/2025: Marés de Mudança: Portugal e a importância da sua Plataforma Continental
Abstract:
Portugal, known for its historic maritime traditions, is currently immersed in a strategic ambition regarding the expansion of its continental shelf driven by geopolitical, economic and environmental factors, placing the country before a dynamic maritime scenario full of challenges and opportunities. The rise of the blue economy, synonymous with a sustainable economy, redefines the indispensability of the ocean and its centrality in the balance of building the sustainable development that is sought globally (Cristas, 2022). Using a qualitative methodology, the aim is to reflect on the main benefits that Portugal can obtain from the possible approval of the expansion of its continental shelf, by the United Nations Organisation (UNO). The future, according to the National Strategy for the Sea 2021-2030 (República Portuguesa, 2021), should involve defining a strategy, based on a system of alliances, that will allow Portugal to move forward with the sustainable exploitation of the marine resources (Seguro, 2022).
Cite this Working Paper:
Pinguinha, Sofia Rocha and Eduardo Moraes Sarmento (2025). “Marés de Mudança: Portugal e a importância da sua Plataforma Continental”. CEsA/CSG – Documentos de trabalho nº 203/2025
Development Studies Workshops 2025 | Ecocrítica: teorias e práticas
The Development Studies Seminars are an initiative that, since 1991, promotes research carried out in the areas of study of the Masters in Development and International Cooperation (MCDI) of ISEG and the PhD Programme in Development Studies of the University of Lisbon
Development Studies Workshops 2025
Topic: Ecocrítica: teorias e práticas
Date: 15 May 2025 (Thursday)
Time: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Venue: Amphitheatre 1, Quelhas Building – ISEG (Ed. Quelhas, 4th Floor, Rua do Quelhas 6, 1200-781, Lisboa, Portugal)
Organisers: Professor Jessica Falconi and Professor Ana Mafalda Leite
Presentation 1: O Ambientalismo Literário do Pobre. Notas para uma ecocrítica pós-colonial das Literaturas Africanas (speaker: Elena Brugioni, CEsA & UNICAMP, Brazil)
Presentation 2: Pensar com a Natureza, Perspectivar um Caminho Académico (speaker: Isabel Alves, online, UTAD-CEAUL, Portugal)
Presentation 3: Pensar as Atmosferas do Antropoceno a partir da Ecopoética (speaker: Nuno Marques, Environmental Humanities Laboratory, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden)
Presentation 4: Projeto ECO: Vida mais-que-humana na cultura humana – uma perspectiva amazónica (speaker: Patricia Vieira, CES-UC, Portugal)
Presentation 5: Das Máquinas no Jardim: Imaginar o Fim do Mundo (speaker: José Duarte, Universidade de Lisboa-CEAUL, Portugal)
Presentation 6: Ecocrítica do Crescimento Económico (speaker: Carlos Manuel Antunes, Faculdade de Ciência-UL, Portugal)
Presentation 7: Navegar nas Humanidades e Derivas Azuis dos Estudos de Língua Inglesa (speaker: Margarida Vale de Gato, Universidade de Lisboa-CEAUL, Portugal)
Presentation 8: Poesia Entoada e Chamanismo, uma Reaproximação entre Chamamentos (speaker: Maurício Vieira, poet, Brazil)
Presentation 9: A Hidroficção em Perspetiva: Leitura ecocrítica de A Arca de Não é, de Bento Baloi (speaker: João Fernando André, FLUL/HUMA/Alliance Frainçaise, Portugal)
Presentation 10: Resistência e utopia, do corpo ao território: cruzamentos entre arte, ecologia, educação e ativismo (speaker: Rebecca Mateus, Associação Dunas Livres, Orchidaceae collective, Coletivo HortaFCUL, Portugal)
Free admission, in-person event
About the Workshop
The workshop aims to discuss the broad theme of human impact on the planet through the various critical perspectives and analytical categories that have emerged within the field of ecocriticism and, more broadly, the environmental humanities, which regard climate change as a crucial topic across multiple areas of study. These perspectives and categories allow for a reassessment of diverse forms of cultural production originating from distinct geographical and epistemological contexts.
The goal is to foster dialogue and theoretical-critical debate across areas and disciplines that have afforded more or less space to environmental concerns. Indeed, while Anglo-American Studies have been pioneers in the theoretical domain of ecocriticism, the same cannot be said of studies focused on Portuguese-language African literatures and cinemas. These cultural productions have only recently begun to be examined through environmentalist and ecocritical lenses.
To what extent are ecocritical approaches to various cultural and literary productions dominated by Western perspectives? How can different forms of knowledge be brought together? What can we learn by listening to thoughts and positions emerging from the Global South? How can we foster dialogue and the exchange of knowledge and practices towards a multifaceted approach that is not exclusively centred on the West?
The workshop seeks to address these questions by bringing theory and practice into dialogue through the contributions of scholars and activists.
Download the full programme
Read more:
Author: CEsA Communication (comunicacao@cesa.iseg.ulisboa.pt)
Images: CEsA/Reproduction
Recording of the DS Seminar “Between the Climate and the Land: Perceptions and Practices of Small-Scale Farmers in Santo Antão” available on CEsA’s YouTube Channel
The Communication ‘Between the Climate and the Land: Perceptions and Practices of Small-Scale Farmers in Santo Antão’ was presented by Professor Sónia Frias (CEsA and ISCSP, Portugal) and Professor Arlindo Fortes (CEsA and Universidade de Santiago, Cape Verde) on 8 April 2025 under the Development Studies Workshop on Environment, Climate Change and Development. The session was recorded and is now available on CEsA’s YouTube channel.
This event was part of the Development Studies Seminars, an initiative that, since 1991, has been promoting research in the study areas of the Master’s in Development and International Cooperation (MDCI) at ISEG and the PhD Programme in Development Studies (PDED) at the University of Lisbon.
Watch the seminar recording below:
Read more
Development Studies Workshops 2025 | Ambiente, Alterações Climáticas e Desenvolvimento
Between the Climate and the Land: Perceptions and Practices of Small-Scale Farmers in Santo Antão (Recording on YouTube)
Author: CEsA Communication (comunicacao@cesa.iseg.ulisboa.pt)
Images: CEsA/Reproduction
Ebook – 3rd EJICPLP Africa: A ciência para a realização dos Objectivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável da Agenda 2030
Abstract:
It is with great pleasure that we present the outcomes of the 3rd Meeting of Young Researchers from the CPLP on Africa, held in Luanda on 27 and 28 March 2024. This event, which has already established itself as a key platform for science and development within the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), brought together more than 700 participants around the theme “Science for the Achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda,” fostering a fertile environment for the exchange of ideas, reflections, and collaborations.
With around 30 speakers, including senior researchers, experts, and high-level national and international institutional representatives from various fields of study, eight thematic panels were discussed to deepen knowledge about Africa and its sustainable development, particularly in the areas of Tourism, Energy, Education, Economy, and African Women. The event addressed critical issues related to poverty eradication, environmental protection, and social prosperity. This edition highlighted the role of science in transforming African realities, reflecting on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the context of the Global South.
The importance of this Meeting goes beyond the impressive number of participants or the lively discussions that marked the two days of activities. The event is a unique scientific forum for young people across the CPLP and brings together a vibrant network of researchers in an itinerant and innovative format. It represents the collective effort of young researchers to give voice to issues that directly affect the development and future of their countries, reinforcing the scientific leadership of CPLP youth.
In this edition, 35 scientific papers by young researchers were presented, selected from among the 65 papers received through the Call for Papers, by a Scientific Committee composed of 30 professors from various universities in CPLP countries.
This book is more than a simple collection of articles; it represents the dedication of young researchers who strive to redefine the role of science in their societies. Through the discussions and analyses presented here, we hope not only to inspire new debates, but also to encourage concrete actions in support of inclusive and sustainable development in CPLP countries.
With the crucial support of the Centre for African and Development Studies (CEsA) and partner organisations such as Angola’s Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, and Felcos Umbria, this edition also demonstrates the value of collaboration and international partnerships essential to the success of this project.
We hope these pages offer an enriching perspective on the scientific contributions of Portuguese-speaking youth, as well as concrete actions towards inclusive and sustainable development, particularly in the PALOP countries.
We believe this book marks a milestone on the path towards a more open, collaborative, and transformative science.
Cite this e-book:
D’Abril, Cristina Molares e Jessica Falconi (2024). “III EJICPLP África: A ciência para a realização dos Objectivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável da Agenda 2030”. ISBN: 978-989-54687-6-8
Registration now open! CEsA and Oficina Global join the 5th Edition of the International Development Summer Course
The CEsA – Centre for African and Development Studies (ISEG RESEARCH/ISEG/ULisboa) and Oficina Global are proud to be institutional partners of the 5th Edition of the International Development Summer Course, organised in partnership with Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and Plataforma Portuguesa das ONGD. This edition will have as its theme “Cooperation in a Disrupted World: Who’s setting the rules?”, and will take place online over five mornings, from 26 to 30 May (11 a.m. to 1 pm UTC+1, Lisbon time). There will be simultaneous interpretation ENG-PT-ENG.
The preliminary programme can be acessed here. Registration must be done by filling out this form.
Read more:
International Development Summer Course – 5ª edição – Plataforma Portuguesa das ONGDs Website
Author: CEsA Communication (comunicacao@cesa.iseg.ulisboa.pt) with information from Plataforma Portuguesa das ONGDs
Image: Plataforma Portuguesa das ONGDs/Reproduction
Recording of the DS Seminar “Biodiversity Conservation vs Local Development: Mainstreaming biodiversity into the agricultural sector in Mozambique” available on CEsA’s YouTube Channel
The Communication ‘Biodiversity Conservation vs Local Development: Mainstreaming biodiversity into the agricultural sector in Mozambique’ was presented by Dr Máriam Abbas (OMR, Mozambique, and Institute for Natural Resources Technology and Management, Germany) on 8 April 2025 under the Development Studies Workshop on Environment, Climate Change and Development. The session was recorded and is now available on CEsA’s YouTube channel.
This event was part of the Development Studies Seminars, an initiative that, since 1991, has been promoting research in the study areas of the Master’s in Development and International Cooperation (MDCI) at ISEG and the PhD Programme in Development Studies (PDED) at the University of Lisbon.
Watch the seminar recording below:
Read more
Development Studies Workshops 2025 | Ambiente, Alterações Climáticas e Desenvolvimento
Biodiversity Conservation vs Local Development: Mainstreaming biodiversity into the agricultural sector in Mozambique (Recording on YouTube)
Author: CEsA Communication (comunicacao@cesa.iseg.ulisboa.pt)
Images: CEsA/Reproduction
Discover the PhD in Development Studies
Discover the inter-university PhD programme in Development Studies, the result of a partnership between ISEG and other schools of the University of Lisbon — ICS (Institute of Social Sciences), IGOT (Institute of Geography and Spatial Planning), and ISA (School of Agriculture).
Mundo Crítico # 11: Mulheres, Poder e Lideranças
Abstract:
While it is widely recognised that equitable participation in political life is essential to development processes, data from across the globe unfortunately show that women remain underrepresented at all levels of decision-making, and gender parity in political life is still far from being achieved.
Women’s relationship with power and their possibilities of accessing leadership positions are marked by a constant negotiation between the private and public spheres, regardless of their context of action.
This issue of Mundo Crítico offers a critical and diverse reading—both geographically and historically—on the ways in which relationships between women, power, and different forms of leadership are articulated. The aim is to foster a more nuanced understanding of the mechanisms and values underpinning the functioning of societies.
In the Imperfect Conversation, historians Ana Paula Tavares and Patrícia Godinho Gomes discuss the everyday challenges faced by women in African countries, focusing on the concept of generation and the importance of female participation in the process of building today’s independent nations.
Other contributions reflect on the global difficulties women face in accessing power, and how their political participation also takes shape in more informal contexts—spaces where they create conditions for their own survival.
The photo essay For a New Tchiloli by Dário Pequeno Paraíso shows how tradition can be reinvented and renewed, presenting portraits of young women from São Tomé and Príncipe who reinterpret one of the archipelago’s most iconic cultural expressions through a female lens.
Cite this Journal:
ACEP & CEsA (2025). “Mulheres, Poder e Lideranças”. ISEG/CEsA – Centro de Estudos sobre África e Desenvolvimento. Revista Mundo Crítico nº 11 (Jan 2025). ISSN 2184-1926
May session of the Cinema and Decolonisation Cycle to screen the documentary ‘Omi Nobu’ (‘The New Man’) at ISEG with free admission
The 2024/2025 season of the Cinema and Decolonisation Cycle has been running since November 2024, hosting cineclub-style sessions to explore the legacies and memories of decolonisation. The next session, scheduled for 10 May, will feature a screening of the documentary Omi Nobu (‘The New Man’, Carlos Yuri Ceuninck, 2023, Cape Verde, 64 min), which was selected for FESPACO 2023 in Ouagadougou, where it won the most prestigious award in the documentary competition, the Golden Standard.
The film will be shown at 10:00 a.m. in the Auditorium 2 of the ISEG (Rua do Quelhas 6, Quelhas Building, 2nd Floor), with free admission. Following the film screening, a Q&A session will take place with the participation of Natasha Craveiro, sociologist, film director, and producer of Omi Nobu, and Luca Fazzini, professor at the Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Lisboa.
Synopsis – Omi Nobu (The New Man) (Carlos Yuri Ceuninck, 2023, Cape Verde, 64 min)
Omi Nobu explores Man’s intimate relationship with Time; the contrast between the frozen time of an abandoned village and that of man confronts us with our own mortal condition. Quirino’s story is also a confrontation between tradition and modernity, between Man’s attachment to the Earth and his relationship with Nature. The story takes place on the island of Sao Nicolau in Cabo Verde, in Ribeira Funda, a small village located at the bottom of a deep valley surrounded by high mountains and a rough ocean. Its inhabitants have experienced such a series of disastrous events that frightening superstitions have led them to flee the village to escape the forces of evil. Everyone left the village to settle in the nearby Estância de Brás. All except one. One man remained: Quirino.
For over thirty years, 77-year-old Quirino has been the sole inhabitant of Ribeira Funda, the ghost village. He has survived for decades by fishing and growing vegetables. He spends his days contemplating the ocean and the majestic mountains that surround his home. His only company is a rooster, a few sparrows and a battery-powered portable radio, which hums with news from the rest of the world. But in the twilight of his life, Quirino, faced with an uncertain future and the harassing weight of isolation, illness and old age, resolves to leave the only place he has ever known. Omi Nobu takes us on a journey through the days and nights of the past, present and future of a village, a land and a man, and, in fine, meditates on our ontological relationship with the finitude of time and space.
Credits
Director: Carlos Yuri Ceuninck
Producers: Natasha Craveiro and Aurélien Bodinaux
Co-Producers: Paulo de Carvalho / Gudula Meinzolt / Alyaa Musa
Written by Carlos Yuri Ceuninck and César Schofield
Director of Photography: Arilson Almeida
Head of Sound: David Medina
Editor: Antoine Donnet
Original Soundtrack: Henrique Silva
Foley Sound: Elias Vervecken
Sound Editor: Virginie Messiaen
Sound Design: Nuno Miranda
Sound Mixing: Renaud Guillaumin
Color Grading: Veerle Zeelmaekers
Country of Production: Cabo Verde / Belgium / Germany / Sudan
Production: Korikaxoru Films / Neon Rouge Production / Autentika Films / Black Balance Films
2023 / Format 2.39 / Duration 64′
Awards
[2023] Prémio L’Étalon d’Or de Melhor Documentário de Longa-Metragem, FESPACO – Festival Panafricano de Cinema e Televisão de Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
[2024] Menção Honrosa na categoria de Melhor Documentário de Média-Metragem, Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival
Get to know the director:
Carlos Yuri Ceuninck was born in 1976 in Santo Antão, Cape Verde. He studied Art History and Foreign Languages in Belgium, Anthropology in the United States, and Film in Cuba, specialising in documentary production. He has directed several short documentaries, including Listen and Sea, Without Taste, Touch or Smell (2005), and To Beef or Not to Beef and That is the Question on the Isle of Mu (2004). His first feature-length documentary, The Master’s Plan, was selected for the official competition at the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF 2021) in Nigeria and at STLOUIS’S DOCS 2021 in Senegal. His second feature-length documentary, Omi Nobu (also known as The New Man), was selected for FESPACO 2023 in Ouagadougou, where it won the most prestigious award in the documentary competition, the Golden Standard.
About the Cinema and Decolonisation Cycle
The sessions of the Cinema and Decolonisation Cycle will continue until June 2025, with screenings taking place in Auditorium 2 at ISEG (with the exception of the 5 April, which will be held at the National Museum of Ethnology). This initiative runs parallel to the exhibition Deconstructing Colonialism, Decolonising the Imagination, on display at the National Museum of Ethnology until 2 November.
Check out the programme below:
Decolonisation must be understood as an ongoing process, one that needs to be embraced and integrated into social, political, cultural, and personal dynamics. The project aims to create an open, dynamic space for sharing memories, narratives, dialogues, and reflections. It is coordinated by researcher Jessica Falconi (CEsA/ISEG/ULisboa) and curated by researcher and filmmaker Isabel Noronha (CEsA/ISEG/ULisboa) and filmmaker Camilo de Sousa.
Coordination: Jessica Falconi (CEsA/ISEG/ULisboa)
Curation: Isabel Noronha (CEsA/ISEG/ULisboa) and Camilo de Sousa
Scientific Consulting: Isabel Castro Henriques (CEsA/ISEG/ULisboa), Joana Pereira Leite (CEsA/ISEG/ULisboa), and Ana Mafalda Leite (CEsA/ISEG/ULisboa)
Collaboration: Luca Fazzini and João Moreira Silva
Support: CEsA/ISEG/ULisboa
Read more:
Omi Nobu, The New Man – FESPACO website
Omi Nobu, The New Man – Autentika Films website
Ciclo Cycle of Cinema and Decolonization | Screening of the film “The New Man”
Omi Nobu – Trailer on Vimeo
Programme for the 2024/2025 season of the Cinema and Decolonisation Cycle, in parallel with the exhibition ‘Deconstructing Colonialism, Decolonizing the Imagination’
Author: CEsA Communication Team (comunicacao@cesa.iseg.ulisboa.pt)
Image: Reproduction/Kintop
