Representations of the foreigner in Portuguese culture (1750-1950): National identity in confrontation.

Starting from the hypothesis that national identity is built on a confrontational dynamic, our study intends to examine the representations of the Foreigner in emblematic texts of the Portuguese culture from the 18th to 20th Centuries, considering the principle that, depending on the context and typology (exogenous or endogenous foreigner), the Foreigner can be seen as the enemy to be fought and eliminated, or a model to be emulated. This analysis will be complemented by a reading of the Foreigner according to a structure of resentment and a scapegoat mechanism. It will be understood that only through an exegesis of the long-term representations of the Foreigner can we understand the efficacy and mobilizing force of certain myths engendered about a particular foreigner, their evolution over time and the way they have been instrumentalized in different contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]