Archaeology and the Portuguese Authoritarian Regime: The Municipal Commissions for Art and Archaeology (20 min)

Presenters

Beatriz Barros, Indiana University Bloomington

Abstract

The past is powerful. Archaeologists and governments alike know this. Authoritarian regimes, in particular, have co-opted archaeological sites and artifacts, pushing interpretations that fit their ideologies. Consequently, authoritarian regimes usually try to keep the past under tight control. In one such attempt, Portugal’s authoritarian regime, the conservative and nationalist Estado Novo (1933–1974), tried to establish a nationwide network of commissions dedicated to overseeing any archaeological, historical, or artistic monuments. These commissions, the Municipal Commissions for Art and Archaeology (MCAAs, Comissões Municipais de Arte e Arqueologia, in the original), were supposed to be the basis of the government hierarchy—the eyes and ears of the central government on the ground—in matters of cultural heritage.

In this paper, I present the project that I have been developing over the past two years, dedicated to these MCAAs. The goals of the project are to determine how many MCAAs existed, what activities they carried out in relation to archaeology and cultural heritage, whether they contributed to the strengthening of the regime at the local level, and whether there is any influence of these MCAAs on the development of Portuguese archaeology since the end of the dictatorship. The main source of evidence used is the documentation (minutes, reports, correspondence, etc.) produced by the MCAAs in the different municipalities. In addition, interviews with people who were members of the MCAAs were conducted to supplement the archival evidence.

Thanks to these efforts, it was possible to determine that the regime failed in this ambitious attempt at control. Albeit required by law, only about half of the municipalities established MCAAs. And, of those, only a small fraction actually met regularly and fulfilled their responsibilities. Nevertheless, some MCAAs were crucial to the preservation of certain archaeological sites and artifacts that would otherwise have been lost, as this study has shown.