Journey Back to the Source of Modern “Portugality”: From Almeida Garrett’s Viagens na minha terra to the Beginnings of Cultural Tourism in Portugal

Abstract

This article outlines a particular reading of Viagens na Minha Terra, by the Portuguese writer Almeida Garrett. It focuses on the need for a critical perspective of the Portuguese situation in the middle of the 19th century, placed in a European context of great political upheaval and industrial development. This reading highlights the peculiarity of the journey that originated the book—i.e., a journey into the Portuguese territory that appears as an inversion of the traditional national journey narratives related to overseas discoveries and expeditions. On the other hand, this reading heeds on the symbolical value of the city visited, Santarém, where Garrett’s vision of a Portuguese national becoming takes place. As a result of this vision, Garrett pointed out a direction for the country’s development and its self-representations. Among them, the recognition of the loss of a central place in the modern world’s dynamics appears, implying a new peripheral position for the country. From there, Portugal would strive to build a self-image having to choose between traditional representations and a modern self-image that is to be projected towards the outside world through its historical heritage and its integration into a still-budding tourist industry.