CIES Research Forum 2025 explores participation and democracy in tribute to André Freire
The 18th edition of the CIES-Iscte Research Forum, dedicated to “Participation and Democracy”, was scheduled for 27 January 2025 at Iscte Knowledge and Innovation in Lisbon. The annual event brought together, through its programme, CIES-Iscte researchers and guests from other institutions to present and discuss research projects, academic papers and ongoing work.
This edition was organised in tribute to Professor André Freire, acknowledging his contribution to the development of Political Science in Portugal. The event was coordinated by CIES-Iscte researchers Guya Accornero and Ana Espírito-Santo.
The programme was structured around three thematic panels examining different dimensions of democratic processes, political participation and contemporary challenges facing democracy.
The first panel, “Democracy: Between Inclusion and Exclusion”, featured Ana Maria Belchior, Renato do Carmo and Vania Baldi. Their presentations addressed inequalities in political efficacy, the influence of social inequalities on political participation and the internal contradictions of democratic systems.
The second panel, “(Anti-)Democratic Processes and Polarisation”, brought together Filipa Raimundo, Luca Mannucci, Susana Nina, José Santana Pereira and Roberto Falanga. The scheduled presentations explored the relationship between populism and transitional justice, the relevance and resilience of the cordon sanitaire in the context of Portugal’s 2024 parliamentary elections, and the potential of participatory democracy to address political polarisation.
The third panel, “André Freire and Political Science in Portugal”, was dedicated to the researcher’s academic legacy, with contributions from Marco Lisi, Daniel Adrião and Helena Carvalho.
The Forum’s programme highlighted different approaches to researching democracy, connecting questions of political inclusion, inequality, polarisation and citizen participation, while recognising André Freire’s scientific contribution to the study of politics and democracy in Portugal.
Adapted from an article originally published by CIES-Iscte.