População e Sociedade n.º 44

Judite Gonçalves de Freitas (editor)

Thematic Issue

The East as a scientific zenith

Coordinator

Vitor Teixeira

Under the title “The East as a scientific zenith,” this collection of studies in issue 44 of the Journal offers an attempt at deep immersion into the complexity of the encounter between Europe and Asia, transcending traditional narratives of colonial domination. Through a multidisciplinary approach, the authors revisit the persistence of the Luso-Asian “informal empire” and the sophistication of the maritime science of the Estado da Índia, while also exploring the anthropology of the Jesuit mission and the resilience of millennia-old diasporas, such as the Jews of Bukhara. The volume extends its analysis to the contemporary period, addressing the ethical and humanitarian challenges of climate migration in South Asia and the role of poetry in the genesis of national independences. In sum, the volume establishes itself as an essential contribution to Oriental Studies, presenting the East not as a periphery but as a vibrant center of knowledge production, cultural resistance, and social innovation.

The Varia section presents five articles. The first offers a critical and constructive reflection on the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in contemporary societies, focusing on the ethical, political, legal, and social challenges it raises, its potential repercussions for democracy, and the visions of the future it evokes. Secondly, one article examines population aging and accelerated urbanization - factors that pose significant challenges to urban management and call for inclusive policies that integrate technology, territory, and social justice. The authors present a scientometric analysis of 304 articles (2007-2024) from the Scopus database on the use of digital technologies and smart-city approaches applied to urban aging.

Next, another article addresses the limits of International Law in the face of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, offering a realist perspective on states’ non-compliance with arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court within the international system. This is followed by a study on the vicissitudes of the implementation of Portuguese monarchical constitutionalism, particularly in Póvoa de Varzim (1834-1839); and, finally, a proposal for ocean literacy concerning the coastal zone of Cape Verde is presented.