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All Americans learn in school about Columbus discovering the New World, and many remember that he was an Italian in the service of Spain, but few people know that the great navigator acquired his skills in Portugal. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, Portugal was the leading nation in the exploration of regions beyond European frontiers. What motivated the Portuguese to venture into unfamiliar territories? How did Portugal impact the cultural traditions of the regions it "discovered" and, in many cases, occupied? This presentation offers a historical overview of a small nation's bold expeditions into the larger world. It also touches on the many contributions that Portuguese immigrants have offered to the cultural heritage of New England.
Onesimo Almeida is a native of Portugal’s Azores islands and is Professor in the Department of Portuguese and Brazilian Studies at Brown University. He researches and lectures on Portuguese intellectual and cultural history as well as on Azorean literary and cultural history. Author of more than a dozen books, he also writes regularly for the Portuguese press both in Portugal and in the U.S. and Canada.
Needs: Chalkboard or whiteboard