342
TRADITION AND MODERNITY IN THE PORTUGUESE INNER
COLONISATION
The labo a o ial case o Pegões
Ma a P is a
CRIA/NOVA FCSH, Cen o em Rede de In es igação em An opologia / Cen e o
Resea ch in An h opology, Lisbon, Po ugal
Abs ac
The in e wining o adi ion and mode ni y is a oo ed discussion wi hin he Po uguese
his o y o a chi ec u e since he mid- wen ie h cen u y. F om hen on, he
dicho omisa ion o e udi e and e nacula a chi ec u es, u ban and u al cul u es and
se ings, na ionalis and uni e salis ic alues, seems o ha e been deba ed and
e iewed. This pape aims o con ibu e o such de-essen ialisa ion p ocesses by
ocusing on he Po uguese Es ado No o p ojec o inne colonisa ion conduc ed by he
Jun a de Colonização In e na (1936-1974), and examining he dialogues and ic ions
be ween i s adi ional and mode n ideals and accomplishmen s as spa ialised in one
e y pa icula colony – Pegões. On he one hand, he pape ponde s upon he
Po uguese colonisa ion’s neo-physioc a ic basis, loca ing he adi ion-mode ni y
binomial in he in en o mode nise he ag a ian wo ld while pe pe ua ing i s adi ional
li es yle, simul aneously os e ing an economic de elopmen , social con ol and na ional
iden i y. On he o he hand, he pape d aws upon he labo a o ial colony o Pegões,
which was he i s , he bigges and he only one buil in Sou he n Po ugal, o mo e
hickly analyse he colonisa ion’s poli ics and ul ilmen s, and i s unde s anding and uses
o adi ional and mode nis ideals, aes he ics and ep esen a ions. Special a en ion is
gi en o he dialec ics be ween poli ical and economic agencies, social nego ia ions,
embodied expe iences, and meanings and a ec ions, by looking in o he o icial-w i en
his o y o he colony and emo ional-senso y memo y o i s se le s. This app oach esul s
om he wo k ca ied ou wi hin he scope o MODSCAPES esea ch p ojec ( unded by
HERA Uses o he Pas ), no ably in wha conce ns i s esea ch line on he memo ies and
pe cep ions o Eu opean colonisa ion policies, schemes and esul ing landscapes.
Keywo ds: T adi ionalism, Mode nism, He i age.
In oduc ion
The in e wining o adi ion and mode ni y is a oo ed discussion wi hin he
Po uguese his o y o a chi ec u e since he mid- wen ie h cen u y. Ma ked by
poli ical eadings and social posi ionings, such discussion ends o asse a
dialogical ela ion be ween mode n a chi ec u e and e nacula isms. Howe e , i
Regionalism, Na ionalism & Mode n A chi ec u e
Con e ence P oceedings. Po o, Oc obe 25-27, 2018
343
also se s apa mode n mo emen and na ional a chi ec u es (Po as, 1978),
mode nism and c i ical egionalism (Tos ões, 1997), in wha is seen as he
pola i ies and pe meabili ies o a chi ec u e wi hin he Po uguese his o y o a
(Cos a, 1995). A ecognised challenge he e lies in de ini ions. Di e en au ho s
use he e ms mode n a chi ec u e, mode n mo emen , mode nism, o e e o
in e changing e e en s. Acco ding o McLeod (2017), such polysemy led o he
banalisa ion o ‘mode nism’ which nowadays needs adjec i es and ad e bs o be
clea on pu pose
1
. This e lec s he pos mode n e ision o he concep and i s
de iance o a hegemonic de ini ion. Bu also he academic eluc ance in hinking
a chi ec u e beyond i s echnical and aes he ical ames, and wi hin i s poli ical,
in ellec ual and social milieu. In Po ugal, a emp s o o e come his bias led o
con as ing eadings o mode nis a chi ec u e as an exp ession o a ascis
egime (B i es, 2016) and i s con es a ion (Almeida, 2008). Howe e , despi e
he e o s o blu e udi e and popula cul u es’ apa ness in ligh o pos mode n
hyb idi y, cul u al binomials like he u ban/ u al o he adi ion/in ellec ual keep
being essen ialised due o he nos algic imagining o u ali y and adi ion as
au hen ic and na u al (Vellinga, 2007).
This pape aims o con ibu e o his discussion by d awing a en ion o he
policies, schemes and p ojec s o inne colonisa ion in Po ugal, aking one
colony as a case s udy. B oadly speaking, inne colonisa ion was ca ied ou by
se e al o ali a ian and au ho i a ian Eu opean egimes inspi ed by neo-
physioc a icis , mode nis and poli ical u opias h oughou he 20 h cen u y, and
aimed o de elop ag a ian economies and os e na ional and na ionalis ic
iden i ies h ough a mode nisa ion o ag icul u al sec o s, ese lemen o
popula ions, and u al planning and building
2
. I he e o e p esen s a unique
case s udy o discuss he in e wining o adi ion and mode ni y, u al and
u ban, popula and e udi e ca ego ies.
Compa a i ely, Po ugal was a poo u al coun y wi h sca ce indus ial
de elopmen uled by an au ho i a ian conse a i e egime ha elied on
1
Some examples a e he ‘high’ o Sco , he ‘anxious’ o Goldhagen and Legaul , he ‘sou he n’ o
CEAA, o he ‘o he ’ o DOCOMOMO.
2
I s compa a i e analysis is he co e subjec o he esea ch p ojec MODSCAPES – Mode nis
Rein en ions o he Ru al Landscape, in he scope o which he esea ch ha led his pape was
conduc ed.
Ma a P is a, T adi ion and mode ni y in he Po uguese Inne Colonisa ion. The labo a o ial case o Pegões
344
di e en poli ical s anding eli es and imposed a adi ional o de on socie y.
Consequen ly, i s inne colonisa ion p ojec led by he Jun a de Colonização
In e na (1936-1974) du ing he igh -wing dic a o ship o Es ado No o (1933-
1974), was ola ile in ideological and echnological guidelines, and cons ained
in scale and impac s.
One pa icula colony excels in he con ex o Po uguese inne colonisa ion:
Pegões. On he one hand, looking a he pas , mos au ho s acknowledged
Pegões as JCI labo a o ial se lemen due o i s loca ion, ex ension and ma e ial
and social schemes o implemen a ion. On he o he hand, looking a he
p esen , Pegões is s ill ac i e in he ag icul u al sec o , made a name in he wine
business, as is unde a p ocess o he i agisa ion in poli ical, social and
in ellec ual a enas. Thus, Pegões is a pa icula ly eloquen ield o examine how
di e en ac o s a scene physically and concep ually loca ed and keep loca ing
adi ion and mode ni y in social space h ough social ep esen a ions,
ela ionships and p ac ices ha b ing oge he popula and e udi e cul u e, u al
and u ban ea u es (c . Low, 1996).
S ill a an explo a o y s age o esea ch, his pape aims o s ess how b oade
pe spec i es on buil space can enligh en hese en anglemen s, by pu ing in o a
dialogue o icial, in ellec ual and social discou ses on Pegões, collec ed by
documen al and bibliog aphic esea ch, explo a o y ield ips, second-hand
es imonies o se le s, and hei online sha ed memo ies.
The labo a o ial and he excep ional case o Pegões colony
Se e al au ho s ha e jus i ied he labo a o ial cha ac e o Pegões in JCI pu pose
o es i s policies and plans de elopmen ’s managemen (Gue ei o, 2015).
Howe e , his asse ion calls o mode a ion. Indeed, Pegões was he i s colony
planned om sc a ch by JCI
3
and i s plans we e p esen ed in he same yea o
JCI’s o ganic econ igu a ion (1942)
4
. No wi hs anding, Pegões e inces
3
The p e ious colonies o Milag es and Sabugal we e inhe i ed om p e ious ins i u ions ope a ing
on inne colonisa ion.
4
Dec ee-Law n.º 32:439, Diá io do Go e no, 24 No embe 1942.
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345
excep ional ea u es ha p eclude unde aking i linea ly as he p o o ype o
Po uguese inne colonisa ion.
Fi s , Pegões’ lands we e s a e-owned, no common lands no exp op ia ed.
They we e dona ed in will by he cha i able landowne Ro isco Pais o he Lisbon
Ci il Hospi als in 1932, ending up in JCI’s es a e in 1937 (Pe ei a, 2004).
Secondly, Ro isco himsel had implemen ed a colonisa ion p ocess in 1/3 o
Pegões a ms ead, a ac ing a ound 120 amilies om di e en o igins (Mes e,
2009)
5
. This acili a ed he p ocess and a oided ensions wi hin he deba e ha
opposed landlo ds and p og essis eli es on he modali ies o ag a ian
e o mism. In hi d place, all au ho s acknowledge he wo old dimensions o JCI
ac ions, one being echnical-scien i ic and he o he poli ical-ideological (e.g.
Sil a, 2011). He eo , conside ing ha u ali y was a key ac o o inne
colonisa ion as an economy space and a eposi o y o na ional iden i y, and ha
Pegões was he only colony buil in he Sou he n Po ugal, on he ou ski s o a
majo u ban cen e, and close o a main access o na ional bo de s, i is a leas
easonable o ques ion whe he Pegões wasn’ o emos JCI’s chie ac o
p opaganda.
These excep ional ea u es migh explain why Pegões excelled in ma e ial and
he o ical in es men s compa ing o o he s colonies. I s 1942 plan was an
ex ensi e and di e si ied p og amme ha included land clea ing, manu ing,
hyd aulic wo ks, ese oi s, i iga ion sys ems, oad cons uc ion, houses
ypologies and se e al public acili ies
6
. These assembled h ee nuclei wi h plo s
o ganised along he hyd aulic ne wo k o na u al s eams in Pegões Velhos and
Faias, and an a i icial sys em in Figuei as
7
. Such a dispe se mode o se lemen ,
mode a ed in Figuei as, sui ed he idea o comple e and sel -su icien ag a ian
dwelling uni s (casal ag ícola). Each uni included 11ha o d y land o ce eals
p oduc ion, 4ha o ineya d, 2ha o pine o es and 1ha o i iga ed land, and a
building ha concen a ed housing and a ming acili ies such as a s able, a
5
Today’s illage o Fo os, be ween Pegões colony’s nucleous o Figuei as and Faias, esul ed om
Ro isco’s ini ia i e.
6
In o ma ion collec ed h ough in di e en olumes published by JCI ega ding he colonisa ion o
Pegões in he ICS’s A chi e o Social His o y and he a chi es o he Di ec o a e-Gene al o
Ag icul u e and Ru al De elopmen o Po ugal.
7
Plo s di e ed in size: 20 ha in Pegões Velho, 18,5 ha in Figuei as and 15 ha in Faias.
Ma a P is a, T adi ion and mode ni y in he Po uguese Inne Colonisa ion. The labo a o ial case o Pegões
346
pigs y, a silo, a poul y house and a abbi hu ch. Only a oo less dung was
physically de ha ched.
The o mal and unc ional op ions behind he plans o he dwelling uni s in
Pegões con e ed hem a sense o uni y whils simul aneously keeping apa
people and animals, gende s and usages, o he sake o new hygiene s anda ds.
These ha e been conside ed a mode nis sub ex o JCI’s ac ion despi e he
buildings being asse ed o be inspi ed in he adi ional ea u es ha he Es ado
No o ein en ed as na ional a chi ec u e (e.g. Gue ei o, 2015).
Sill, mode nism in inne colonisa ion is mainly associa ed wi h he unc ional,
aes he ics and echnical layou s o i s public buildings, pa icula ly in Pegões
whe e pa aboloide buildings s and ou as excep ional exp essions o Po uguese
mode nism. Howe e ex ao dina y hese may be, looking beyond a chi ec u al
ea u es, wha is excep ional in Pegões is he abundance o hese buildings.
While o he colonies ell sho on public acili ies, Boalhosa o ins ance has only
wo, in Pegões JCI ac ually buil ou schools, wo chu ches, wo medical cen es,
h ee aining cen es, h ee echnical assis ance cen es, h ee b eeding
cen es, along wi h s o age buildings and se e al dwellings o echnicians,
eache s, social assis an s, and isi an s.
The physical and ma e ial in es men s in Pegões ansla ed in o i s social space.
The 206 amilies o se le s ha mo ed in o Pegões, in 1952
8
, we e by a he
la ges ese lemen ca ied ou by JCI. Only 313 houses we e buil and 253
inhabi ed in he whole o he o he colonies. Such demog aphics canno be
unde s ood solely as dimensional oday, no ably when poli ical, in ellec ual and
social discou ses add ess he pas o inne colonisa ion h ough hei p esen
engagemen in ac s o emembe ing and in e p e ing. A e all, place as a
concep ual ca ego y is a social cons uc ion ha depends on he way mul iple
ac o s li e, know, emembe , con es and imagine social spaces (Feld e Basso,
1996).
8
Ini ial plans poin ed a a ound 2500 people. The buil plan accommoda ed a ound 1100 people.
288 amilies applied, o which 94 amilies we e alloca ed o Pegões Velho, 50 o Figuei as, and 62
o Faias.

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347
O e all, wo issues dese e special a en ion he e. The i s was he idea o
ans o ming u al wo ke s in small u al landowne s (Maia, 2018). JCI
announced he colonies as an incuba o o se le s o he colonial empi e and a
means o comba g owing p ole a ia h ough he os e ing o a u al popula ion
ha gua an eed Po uguese na ionali y (SNI, 1945). Bu his would be pu sued
by a ac ing u al wo ke s wi h he p omise o owne ship o e ag icul u al sel -
su icien p i a e p ope ies in a ime o se e e unemploymen and po e y.
Emplaced, his popula ion would ep oduce he adi ional li es yles ha he
S a e claimed o os e pa io ism wi h he assis ance o social con ol
p og ammes and legisla ion on he indi isible, inalienable and inhe i able na u e
o he colonisa ion plo s
9
.
The second issue ela es o o ms o collec i e iden i ica ion. In o de o apply,
se le s had o be heal hy Po uguese men, hold ag a ian expe ience, no eco d
o misconduc , exp ess lo e o wo k and amily, and comply wi h he social and
poli ical o de
10
. As s a ed in he Cons i u ion (1933), amily was he oo o he
Po uguese ace, he basis o poli ical o de , and he labou o ce uni in u al
space. O he o ms o social iden i ica ion we e mos ly disca ded. In ac ,
na ionwide, JCI’s calls o se le s esul ed in he ga he ing o people coming
om Sou he n o No he n Po ugal in one single communi y, easing he
os e ing o a na ional bu no egional ones. Religious iden i ies we e no
disca ded ei he , bu i s Ca holic sup emacy was la en in he building o
chu ches and he colonisa ion’s aming in he ag a ian social doc ine (JCI,
1962). In sho , JCI pu o p ac ice he Es ado No o ilogy ‘God, Fa he land,
Family’.
Aes he ics and poli ics in he s udy o inne colonisa ion
Mos au ho s ha add ess he opic o inne colonisa ion in Po ugal h ough i s
a chi ec u al and u ban designs acknowledge ha ea u es o adi ion and o
mode ni y we e en angled in he p og ammes and plans o JCI. In Pegões, he
9
Law 2014, Di io do Go e no, 27 May 1946.
10
Dec ee-Law n.º 36:709, Diá io do Go e no, 5 Janua y 1948.
Ma a P is a, T adi ion and mode ni y in he Po uguese Inne Colonisa ion. The labo a o ial case o Pegões
348
unc ional and hygienic mode n conce ns wi h he house (Ca a ino, 2010) a e
coun e poised o he oman ic ein e p e a ion o u al g amma s in he image o
a Po uguese house (Coelho, 2009). Dwelling ypes a e simul aneously
unde s ood o ha e s anda dised housing condi ions while a oiding u ban e udi e
meaningless mono ony (Gue ei o, 2015). Bu p o oca i ely, by calling in o he
housing p og ammes o Es ado No o, like he u ban Economic Houses, one could
ead hese mode nising ai s con e sely.
Compa able in e oga ions a ise ega ding public spaces. U ban a angemen s
a e seen as displays o a mode n e i o ial legibili y (Gue ei o, 20015), bu
sha e disposi ions wi h adi ional illages. Mechanisa ion o ag icul u e is
acknowledged a majo goal (Sousa, 1964) bu se le s we e gi en adi ional
ools and pe o med adi ional u al labou (Pe ei a, 2004). Mode nis buildings
in Pegões a e ex olled in aes he ic and echnical ea u es (Coelho, 2009), bu
hei spa ial and unc ional p og ammes ansla e a adi ional social o de and
s uc u e. So, he ques ion o be aised is i mode nis buildings in Pegões can
be hough o as spa ial s a egies o pe pe ua e a adi ional u al communi y,
despi e any mode ni y in hei o mal ea u es, and whe he his challenges hei
mode nis concep ion.
Despi e some e o s in p o iding mode n li e s anda ds, JCI s i ed o poli ically
and echnically en o ce adi ion in Pegões by egula ion and social con ol
measu es, bu also h ough u ban and a chi ec u al solu ions ha ein o ced
social classes’ di isions and oo ed a sel - ep esen a ion o se le s as peasan s.
The p oblem o unde s anding i s mode n- adi ional en anglemen seems o lie
in he dis inc concep ualisa ion o mode nism depending on his adi ion being
ein e p e ed by a egionalis o a na ionalis ic pu pose. Howe e , egionalism
and na ionalism in a chi ec u e a e no me hodological dis inc (Ma ins, 1999);
and p ocesses o adi ion’s de amilia iza ion, in e p e a ion and e-
seman isa ion ha e ope a ed since he 19 h cen u y h oughou Eu ope, bo h
p opelling mo emen s o social e o m and ac ing as ep ession ools
(Lowen hal, 1985).
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349
Mo eo e , ollowing on G i in (2007), mode nism is as a ques o an al e na i e
mode ni y o he socie al e osion b ough up by mode nisa ion as a secula ising
o ce. Because i is cosmological, and no aes he ic, mode nism became a
powe ul ame in poli ical a enas. He ein he au ho asse ed ascism as one o
i s exp essions, ecalling i s palingene ic ul ana ionalism ha ing ough
adi ional eli es’ decadence h ough a o ali a ian con ol o na ional li e ha
aimed o egene a e i s e hos. Fo emos , G i in’s a gumen app ises us o ake
cau ion in ela ing mode nism o one o ano he poli ical s ance. Mode nism
encompasses ascism, bu as cosmological phenomenon i ex ends way beyond.
So, i s analysis canno be limi ed by looking a he wo ld o hings, unless i also
akes in o conside a ion he wo ld o ideas.
The main idea o his pape was p ecisely o b ing o wa d he abo e wo key
lines o easoning in o he analysis o how mode n a chi ec u e, egionalism and
na ionalism in e wine. Fu he mo e, because he excep ional cha ac e o
Pegões is loca ed in pas and p esen e ms, i s canno be analysed in ma e ial
o ms apa om hei con ex ual and dynamic imagina ion. Unde s anding
space as meaning ul implies looking in o bo h i s social p oduc ion and social
cons uc ion, i.e. he social, economic, ideological and echnological ac o s
behind i s physical c ea ion, and he meaning cons ued wi hin he p ocesses o
social exchange, con lic and con ol ha media e i s emo ional and senso ial
expe ience (Low, 1996).
I is in his ame ha buil space becomes a ‘means by which we gi e o m o,
and come o an unde s anding o ou sel es, o he s, o abs ac ions such as he
na ion o he mode n’ (Mille , 1994, p. 397). Th ough he social sciences lens,
a chi ec u e is a p ocess o objec i ica ion o cul u e ha gi es ma e ial o m o
cul u al p ocesses. I hus holds la en possibili ies o meaning, because hings,
like people, ha e social li es (Appadu ai, 1986, p.3). This ames he i age as,
mo e han a hing, a ‘p ocess o engagemen , an ac o communica ion and an
ac o making meaning in and o he p esen ’ (Smi h, 2006, p. 1). One is hus
equi ed o pay a en ion o cu en e en s in he unde s anding o he pas ,
namely in Pegões, whe e an emblema isa ion as he labo a o y o Po uguese
Ma a P is a, T adi ion and mode ni y in he Po uguese Inne Colonisa ion. The labo a o ial case o Pegões
350
inne colonisa ion has buil up i s ep esen a ion as he spa ial locus o he
dialogues be ween mode nism, egionalism and na ionalism.
(Re)imagining Pegões
Looking in o w i en ma e ials on Pegões and o al es imonies o i s o me
se le s, de ia ions come o ligh . O cou se, by na u e o speech, dis inc
sou ces e e o di e en na u es o easoning. Li e a u e emphasises he
ou pu s o inne colonisa ion in depic ions o policies, p og ammes and
ma e iali y. Fo me se le s sha e li e s o ies and expe iences, poin ing ou
amily and social ne wo ks, and emembe ing special and dis essing e en s. Bu
in he case o Pegões, he e is mo eo e a di e en way o looking a he colony.
E udi e p oduc ion and social ac o s se apa and b ing oge he , espec i ely,
he social p oduc ion and social cons uc ion o Pegões as a place. P o iding an
illus a ion, mos au ho s ha add ess buil space in Pegões conside ha
housing and public buildings we e di o ced in aes he ics and ideological ames,
ela ing his gap o i s adi ional e sus mode nis languages and acili ies; bu
se le s’ es imonies dilu e bo h his ma ching and apa ness in an imagining o
he colony as a whole. No ably, hei memo ies ake buil space as he locus o
pe sonal and collec i e expe iences and emo ions ha emi o he wo issues
highligh ed abo e in ega d o JCI social p ojec - owne ship and iden i ies.
Conce ning hei houses, o me se le s sha e a ondness o i s ‘Po uguese
a chi ec u al s yle’
11
while esen ing hei child en s udying a pe ol lamps’
ligh s, oads u ning in o muddy swamps du ing win e , access o po able wa e
being di icul , and sinks being kep in ac o gues s while amilies used wooden
cooking bowls
12
. They emembe women sewing and men playing ca ds in un
e enings
13
in a pe o mance o gende oles ha was ep oduced by he
echnicians in he ag icul u al ields and hei wi es in he con ol o hygiene and
11
Colona o de San o Isid o de Pegões, acebook page, 25 Janua y 2014.
12
In e iew wi h Moisés by Sa a Pe ei a, 27 Oc obe 2004.
13
Eulália Leb e, online commen in Colona o de San o Isid o de Pegões, acebook page, 21
Janua y 2015.