Transitional justice in the judiciary: lessons from the portuguese democratisation

The nature of the Portuguese transition to democracy and the following state crises (1974-1975) created a ‘window of opportunity’ in which the ‘reaction to the past’ was much stronger than in the other Southern or even of Central and Eastern European transitions. In Portugal, initiatives of symbolic rupture with the past began soon after the April 25, 1974, coup d’état and transitional justice policies assumed mainly three formulas. First, the institutional reforms directed primarily to abusive state institutions such as the political police (PIDE-DGS) and political courts (Plenary courts) in order to dismantle the repressive apparatus and prevent further human rights abuses and impunity. Secondly, the criminal prosecutions addressed to perpetrators considered as being the most responsible for repression and abuses. Finally, lustration or political purges (saneamentos, the term used in Portugal to designate political purges) which were, in fact, the most common form of political justice in Portuguese transition to democracy. This paper deals with the peculiarities of transitional justice in Portugal devoting a particular attention to the judicial, a key sector to understand the way the Portuguese dealt with their authoritarian past.

O direito das crianças a participar - desafios nas interações do quotidiano

The article starts by illustrating how children’s right to participation comes to the fore in legal documents regulating the field of early childhood education in Norway. Issues regarding the views of children, understanding of democracy and of play, which influence how this right is realised in early childhood practice, are taken as a point of departure to discuss possible pitfalls. Based on analyses from an in-depth qualitative study in two Norwegian kindergartens (children aged three to six), two examples are presented to argue an understanding of children’s participation which include more than individualistic choice routines. The article is rounded off by taking a critical look at conceptualisations used in early childhood practice and research, arguing that there is a need for critical self- reflection amongst researchers in the field

A educação infantil com a participação das crianças: algumas reflexões

Pensar a participação das crianças na educação infantil foi o mote que impulsionou essa pesquisa nos Estudos da Criança na Sociologia da Infância com o objetivo de contribuir para a consolidação da Pedagogia da Infância balizada num projeto emancipatório. Neste artigo, o recorte eleito tratará do encontro entre a Pedagogia da Infância e a Sociologia da Infância, da democracia e participação das crianças na educação infantil e, do corpo e afetos como elementos das formas de participar das crianças. Depreende-se o quanto é fulcral balizarmos uma educação a partir de uma concepção de criança como ator social e a imprescindibilidade de considerarmos seu ponto de vista expressado por diferentes canais comunicacionais, dentre eles o corpo e afetos, na organização e efetivação das práticas pedagógicas cotidianas.