Do Frictions Ignite Serra de Monchique? Perceptions of Neoliberal Globalization and Complications for Sustainable Citizenship in the Changing Landscape of the Portuguese Countryside.

Abstract

This thesis explores the way Serra de Monchique is connected to global processes, by positing the concept of landscape, on a local scale, opposite the global interconnectedness of the countryside, often assumed to be relatively isolated. In this way it portrays the frictions experienced by locals, and analyzes how these frictions contribute to local perceptions of powerlessness and precarity. Even though frictions are indeterminate, not inherently good or bad, most of the frictions that contribute to a local experience of powerlessness can be analytically attributed to debates surrounding neoliberalism. Furthermore, the residents depict how they experience inadequate rights applying to them in their landscape, while the responsibilities imposed on them through neoliberal narratives are unjust and cumbersome. Subsequently, the residents of Monchique attempt to negotiate their citizenship through acts of citizenship, as reactions to local perceptions of powerlessness and governmental neglect. These local acts of citizenship are contrasted with theoretical debates on sustainable citizenship, pursued by some residents of Serra de Monchique. Finally, in an attempt to expand on the concept of sustainable citizenship, and to further its applicability in the context of Serra de Monchique, this thesis critiques existing literature on sustainable citizenship. That is to say, it falls prey to common limitations in sustainability discourses, inhibiting it from being applicable and effective on a more local scale.