Remembering Vasco da Gama: contested histories and the cultural politics of contemporary nation-building in Lisbon, Portugal

The quincentennial year of Vasco da Gama's arrival in India, 1998, was pivotal in new efforts to reimagine and represent Portuguese national identity, as Lisbon hosted the country's first international exposition, Expo '98. The iconography of Da Gama and the golden age of the Portuguese maritime 'Discoveries' permeated new urban development and official cultural events at the fair, calling attention to the relevance of Portugal's past to its present and future roles in emerging European and global economies, claiming special national expertise in brokering cross-cultural exchanges, especially between Europe, Africa, and Asia, and highlighting cosmopolitan Lisbon's historic and continuing importance in such encounters. Newer liberal reinterpretations of Portuguese history were challenged by leftist and anti-imperialist elements within Portugal, by critics in India, and by the Portuguese right wing. This controversy over historical commemoration also offered implicit commentary on the quality of Portuguese democracy, especially over how much Portugal has superseded the ideologies of the right-wing Salazarist 'New State,' which officially ended in 1974. Key Words: Portugal, Nationalism, Historical commemoration, World's fairs