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Confronting Historical Legacies 

24th March 

Facing an equal world – Challenges for Sociology 

Our (scientific) Community and Our Society: 

rethinking the role and dilemmas of national 

sociological associations - the Portuguese case 

Luís Baptista and Paulo Machado 

Members of the Portuguese Sociological Association - APS

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24th March 

Main topics to discuss: 

1. The social relevancy of contemporary sociological work 

2. The role of the Portuguese sociological community 

within a society in a profound social change 

Further discussion: 

3. Portuguese Sociological Association agenda. Does it matter 

For what To whom How 

Our (scientific) Community and Our Society: rethinking the role and dilemmas of national sociological associations - the Portuguese case

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24th March 

Scheme 3 – The polygonal virtuous interaction of the Portuguese sociology 

Theoretical problematization T 

O Observational research 

Reflexivity 

R 

P 

Professionalisation 

Madureira 

Source: courtesy from Madureira Pinto, 2007. (Not published) 

Discussing the actuality of Madureira Pinto’s proposition, it can be recognised four 

different ideal-types of the current Portuguese sociological work (in next slide) 


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24th March 

Scheme 4 – The polygonal irregularity expresses the variety of the contemporary sociological work 

and allow us to create four ideal types of sociologists 

T 

O 

T 

O 

O 

T 

‘theorists’ 

1 

3 

‘empiricists’ 

R 

P 

(C) 

R 

P 

(C) 

T 

R 

O 

P 

T 

O 

‘charismatic's’ 

2 

Madureira 

4 

‘professionals’ 

Legend: 

R 

P (C) ) 

P 

R 

P 

Theoretical problematization 

Reflexivity 

Observational research 

Professionalisation 


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24th March 

1st point: the late institutionalization of sociology in Portugal, over the last 30 years, has been a 

successful process, as it became relevant both scientifically and professionally 

Scheme 2 – Historical trends of the Portuguese sociology development after 1974 

AFTER 

1974 Pioneer 

period 

(up to 

1974) 

University 

institutionalisation 

(up to the mid of 

the 80’s) 

Process of 

professionalization 

(still ongoing) 

Research centres “of excellence” 

set up at university, private offices, 

private consultants, sociologists as 

employees 

Foundation of the APS - Portuguese Sociological 

Association (1985) 

Foundation of the APSIOT - Portuguese Association 

of Professionals in Labour, Organizations and 

Industrial Sociology 

Note: the concept of professionalization is much more related with what Burawoy calls policy sociology. And 

institutionalism links much more with the professional sociology meaning. 


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24th March 

Chart 2 – Number of Portuguese graduated students in sociology, by year, since 1993 

500 

Graduates (LIC) in public universities (4 or 5 years of training) 

478 

450 

Graduates (LIC) in private universities (4 or 5 years of training) 

412 

400 

Master in public universities 

352 

350 

300 

299 

312 

285 

285 

329 

300 

258 

248 

310 

297 

333 

250 

200 

150 

100 

50 

0 

1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 


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24th March 

Chart 5 – 

Number of thesis (PhD) registered by decade, by sex and origin 

223 

nº PhD 

Made abroad 

Female 

Made in Portugal 

Male 

173 

96 

113 

110 

46 

20 

26 

33 

13 

65 

31 

56 

40 

50 

70's and 80's 90''s 2000-2006 


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24th March 

Chart 1 – 

Portuguese human development index (HDI) trends 

1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 

0,995 

0,975 

0,955 

0,935 

0,915 

0,895 

0,875 

0,855 

0,835 

0,815 

0,795 

0,775 

0,755 

Source: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Human Development Report 2007/2008 

Note: 

The human development index (HDI) is a composite index that measures the average achievements in a 

country in three basic dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, as measured by life 

expectancy at birth; knowledge, as measured by the adult literacy rate and the combined gross enrolment 

ratio for primary, secondary and tertiary schools; and a decent standard of living, as measured by GDP per 

capita in purchasing power parity (PPP) US dollars. 


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24th March 

Male_'olders' 

17,65% 

44,12% 

Working in the welfare areas (health, social support 

institutions), mainly as sociologists 

Working in the private sector, mainly not as 

sociologists (activities related with industry, 

banking, insurance) 

Teachers and researchers at the university 

Researchers (not teaching) 

Teachers (primary or secondary schools) 

Female_ 

'olders' 

34,88% 

13,95% 

18,18% 

36,36% 

Male_ 

'youngers' 

Working in the public administration 

34,15% 

Female_'youngers' 


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24th March 

Scheme 5 – 

Metamorphosis of the sociological métier in Portugal 

Pioneer 

period 

(up to 

1974) 

University 

institutionalisation 

(up to the mid of the 

80’s) 

Process of Professionalisation 

(still developing) 

C 

B 

C 

B 

A 

A = Teaching and fundamental research 

B = Applied research 

C = Sociologically informed intervention 

A 

By professionalization we mean the social process whereby sociologists come to engage in an activity for 

pay or as a means of livelihood within theirs social and professional setting. However, we must recognize 

that there is a gap of knowledge in what concerns the full picture in terms of professional activity. 


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24th March 

Chart 7 – 

Number of unemployed sociologists, by the period of inactivity and type of situation 

(looking for a 1st job vs. looking for a new job): situation in June 2008 

325 

142 

71 

27 

< 12 months >12 months < 12 months >12 months 

Looking for a 1st job Looking for a new job 

The greatest real ghost is the unemployment. Data from June 2008 revealed a rate of 

unemployment around 12% (considering all the sociologists with a degree (1st, 2nd or 

PhD level, achieved since 1997; N= 4592). 


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24th March 

Concluding, but not conclusive, remarks 

1. Reinforcement of the sociologist social role 

2. Adequacy of the scientific-professional association model (APS), with a strong 

deontological code, in order to function as a focal point for the e all community 

3. Engagement of multiple publics in multiple ways 

4. Practical and useful sociological knowledge as a tool to improve collective live 

5. Internationalization procedures and actions in order to obtain visibility v 

and peer 

recognition 

6. Capacity to defend lusofonia as a legitimate world view and the Portuguese as a 

scientific language 


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24th March 

Thank you very much for your attention

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