On 12 March, from 09:30 to 16:00, the workshop “Unarchiving Democracy: Using Archives in the Fight Against Racism” will take place at the School of Social Education and Social Sciences of the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria.

Drawing on the archival materials of the Mário Soares and Maria Barroso Foundation, this workshop will explore issues related to colonial legacies and racism, examining how archives can foster critical reflection on the past and contribute to challenging discriminatory narratives in the present.

The workshop will be led by Melissa Rodrigues, a visual artist, art educator and curator.

This activity is part of an event that Mário Soares and Maria Barroso Foundation is organizing within the framework of the European project FREI - From Resistance to European Integration, funded by the European Union’s CERV programme (Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values).

Free admission, subject to room capacity.

Registration: <a href="https://forms.gle/1HftSMX1TNN7SDLB6">https://forms.gle/1HftSMX1TNN7SDLB6</a>&nbsp;

More information: <a href="https://fmsoaresbarroso.pt">https://fmsoaresbarroso.pt</a>

Educational Service

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Unarchiving Democracy: Using Archives in the Fight Against Racism

The International Conference “Correspondence(s): The Uses of Letters in the 19th and 20th Centuries” will take place on 3 and 4 March 2026 at ISCTE – University Institute of Lisbon. The call for papers is open until 15 February 2026, and researchers interested in this topic are invited to submit proposals.

The conference aims to promote research and interdisciplinary debate on the various uses of correspondence in the 19th and 20th centuries as a historical, cultural, social and political source. It brings together researchers from different fields to reflect on letters as instruments of communication, action, sociability and expression in multiple contexts.

The initiative is part of the project “Common Voices: Organisation and Study of the Correspondence between Citizens and Mário Soares during the Transition to Portuguese Democracy (1974–1978)” (2023.10596.25ABR), funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). The conference is organised by the Mário Soares and Maria Barroso Foundation and ISCTE – University Institute of Lisbon.

The conference will be held in person. Remote presentations will only be permitted for researchers who are not based in Portugal.

Consult the call for papers: <a href="https://fmsoaresbarroso.pt/uploads/Call_for_papers_Congresso_Internacional_sobre_correspondencia_a4f92ca463.pdf">here</a>

Submit proposals: <a href="https://forms.gle/qr2UvRsQT4Pzx5tJ6">here</a>

Project funded by national funds through FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. DOI 10.54499/2023.10596.25ABR.

Mário Soares Centenary

Shared Heritage

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International Conference “Correspondence(s): Uses of Letters in the 19th and 20th Centuries”

The next visit will take place on 25 February at 10:00 and 15:00.

- The Garden, designed by Gonçalo Ribeiro Telles

- The exhibition "Mário Soares. Portugal, what Revolution?"

Free entry by&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://forms.gle/PKyJzLdvXHKPsbQt5">appointment</a>.

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Guided tours to the Foundation in February

On 31 January 2026, the city of Paris will pay tribute to Mário Soares, on the initiative of the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, and following a decision approved by the Municipal Council.

The tribute highlights Mário Soares’ historical connection to the French capital, where he lived in exile during the final years of the dictatorship in Portugal, and will take place through two symbolic moments on the same day:

1. Inauguration of the “Mário Soares Garden”, in the 20th arrondissement, at 50 rue Pixérécourt

The green space located at 50 rue Pixérécourt, inaugurated in 1984 and covering approximately 1,500 m², will be renamed Mário Soares Garden.

2. Unveiling of a commemorative plaque at 17 boulevard Garibaldi, 15th arrondissement

A plaque will also be unveiled on the building where Mário Soares lived between 1970 and 1974 during his exile in Paris.

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Tribute to Mário Soares in Paris

The next visit will take place on 29 January at 10:00 and 15:00.

Free entry by&nbsp;<a href="https://forms.gle/PKyJzLdvXHKPsbQt5">appointment</a>.

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Guided tours to the Foundation in January

The Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon will pay a posthumous tribute to Mário Soares - a former student of the Faculty - in a solemn ceremony to be held on 29 January 2026, at 6:15 p.m., at the Pavilion of Portugal, within the framework of the 1st Meeting of Alumni of the Faculty of Law of Lisbon.

This tribute celebrates the academic, civic and institutional legacy of Mário Soares, highlighting his decisive contribution to Portuguese democracy, the rule of law and national public life.

The ceremony will include the presentation of the Medal of Honour to his family, as well as the awarding of a Certificate of Recognition.

Free entry, subject to <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdFw1uXcRnixF93ovzZAAvsobVdiXOgftJQ647Vv1tkJVm-Qg/viewform">prior registration</a>. Further information and full programme available <a href="https://www.fd.ulisboa.pt/alumnights-with-faculdade-de-direito/">here</a>.

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Homage to Mário Soares by the Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon

Two Rounds: Mário Soares and the 1986 Presidential Elections&nbsp;[A Duas Voltas: Mário Soares e as Presidenciais de 1986] is a documentary about the 1986 Portuguese presidential elections, directed by Ivan Nunes and Paulo Pena.

It will be broadcast on RTP Notícias from 1 to 5 January at 10:00 p.m.

In five episodes, the documentary series Two Rounds revisits the 1986 presidential elections — the only ones in Portugal’s history to have been decided in a second round. Through previously unseen interviews and archival reporting materials, the series offers a vivid portrait of the most closely contested elections ever held.

A co-production by Laranja Azul and RTP, in partnership with the Centenary Commission of Mário Soares / Mário Soares and Maria Barroso Foundation.

This initiative is part of the programme of events commemorating the Centenary of Mário Soares.

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Documentary series on the 1986 presidential elections

Publication based on the exhibition ‘Mário Soares. Portugal, what revolution?’.

The initiative is part of the Mário Soares Centenary programme.

Book ‘Mário Soares. Portugal, what Revolution?’ 

A photographic-documentary exhibition about Mário Soares, at Parque dos Poetas, in Oeiras, from April 2025.

The initiative, promoted by the Municipality of Oeiras, is part of the Mário Soares Centenary programme.