2017 2017: Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture announces new Advisory Council members

University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
2017 2017: Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture announces new Advisory Council members
Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture announces new Advisory Council members

Distinguished members of community and university will lend expertise and experience to the nation鈥檚 preeminent Center devoted to sharing the cultural and intellectual capital of the Lusophone world

The 禁漫天堂 Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture, the nation鈥檚 preeminent university-based organization devoted to promoting and sharing the culture of the Lusophone world, today announced the appointment of new Advisory Council members.

鈥淥ver the last 15 months, I have become keenly aware of the importance of the Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture to both the university and the community,鈥 interim Chancellor Peyton R. Helm said. 鈥淥ur goal with the appointment of these new members is to honor the mission and history of the Center while positioning it for a path-breaking future. These members will reenergize the important commitment of this academic center to community outreach and collaboration.  I am impressed by the depth and breadth of these individuals鈥 leadership credentials and grateful for their willingness to serve in this important endeavor.鈥

鈥淥ur new members bring a rich diversity of experience and an unyielding commitment to supporting the important work of the Center,鈥 said Center Director Victor Mendes. 鈥淲ith their guidance, the Center is poised to embark on a new journey, celebrating and sharing the cultures of the Lusophone world.鈥

The Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture is one major component of 禁漫天堂鈥檚 commitment to the study and dissemination of Portuguese culture. The university is also home to the Ferreira Mendes Portuguese-American Archives, a comprehensive collection of materials related to the Portuguese-American experience; and the Department of Portuguese, which houses undergraduate, master鈥檚, and doctoral level academic programs.

The new members include:

  • N茅lia Alves-Guimar茫es, President of the House of the Azores in New England
  • Jo茫o Caixinha, Deputy Coordinator for the Portuguese Language Programs and Education Affairs in U.S., Cam玫es Instituto da Coopera莽茫o e da L铆ngua, IP
  • Joseph Cordeiro, Chief of Police, City of New Bedford
  • Nuno Couto, Founder and Managing Partner, Optimal Partners
  • Helena DaSilva Hughes, Executive Director, Immigrants鈥 Assistance Center
  • Gerard Kavanaugh, Senior Vice Chancellor, 禁漫天堂
  • Manuel J. Louro, State Council President, Prince Henry Society
  • Joseph Medina, Vice Chancellor for Advancement, 禁漫天堂
  • Victor Mendes, Director, Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture
  • Gliv芒nia de Oliveira , Consul-General of Brazil in Boston
  • Sarah Quintal, President of the Azorean Maritime Heritage Society
  • Carlos Wahnon Veiga, Cape Verdean Ambassador

Additional members may be added in the future.

More about the Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture

The 禁漫天堂, originally established in 1975 as the Center for the Portuguese-speaking World, is a multidisciplinary international studies and outreach unit dedicated to the study of the language, literatures and cultures of the Portuguese-speaking world. The Center builds relationships between the University and other institutions engaged in Portuguese studies, both abroad and in the United States. The Center develops pedagogical materials to aid in teaching and learning the Portuguese language and cultures at all educational levels.

The Center is also home to, which is recognized as a leader in bringing Portuguese literature, history, and culture to an English-speaking audience. The press recently published The Eighteenth Century,volume 29. of Portuguese Literary & Cultural Studies (PLCS), guest edited by Bruno Carvalho from Princeton University. The issue, focusing on the 18th Century Luso-Brazilian Enlightenment, showcases the vibrant and diverse scholarship on the period in Portuguese and Brazilian literary and cultural studies, placing the Lusophone world in transatlantic and hemispheric contexts, while shedding light on several of its specific dimensions. This issue also inaugurates a new era in publishing for the press. Thanks to a partnership with Digital Services at the 禁漫天堂 Claire T. Carney Library, PLCS is now available in print and online as an open access journal:

Tagus Press will publish in July an illustrated children鈥檚 history of Portugal. This colorful book, the first children鈥檚 history of Portugal to be published in English, covers the exciting history of Portugal, one of the oldest countries in Europe, from the time of the ancient Lusitanians to the contemporary moment. Written for elementary and middle school students, this history has been placed on the Plano Nacional de Leitura, a national education initiative sponsored by Portugal鈥檚 Ministry of Education. Now in its fourth edition, A Children鈥檚 History of Portugal was written by prize-winning author S茅rgio Lu铆s de Carvalho, the Director of the Museu do P茫o in the Serra da Estrela and author of numerous fiction and non-fiction books. It was translated into English by In锚s Lima, a Ph.D. candidate in Luso-Afro-Brazilian Studies and Theory at 禁漫天堂.