Fulbright U.S. Scholar in Marketing, Communications and Media Studies at Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa, David Taylor taught at Escola Superior de Comunicação Social (ESCS-PLisboa) and conducted independent research on the topic of “Journalism study of cork oak forests and sustainability in climate change”.
« My semester as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar at the Instituto Politecnico de Lisboa passed very quickly, but followed the arc of previous experiences living abroad. My wife and I started with mysteries about how things work in another country, but through the four months Lisbon became familiar, even homy.
Along the way, I shared with students in the journalism department my experience as a freelance writer. I also shared my curiosity about Portugal’s oak forests, for stories about cork and environmental security. My previous time in Portugal, I had researched a World War II episode of environmental security for my book titled Cork Wars.
My colleagues at ESCS, including my coordinator Maria José Mata, did a wonderful job of welcoming me into five courses where I could share experiences and we discussed vivid stories in Portugal now.
(photo credit: IPL)
My visit to the Aljube Museum of Resistance and Freedom showed me a glimpse of the country’s history. Located in a former prison of the dictatorship, the museum commemorates the repression and resistance by the Portuguese people during the Estado Novo dictatorship, and their emergence into democracy. Visitors see the instruments of manipulation in censorship and intimidation, and how resistance informed the values of Portugal today.
In March, the Fulbright 65th anniversary dinner introduced us to the country’s president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, a Fulbrighter himself. I met other early Portuguese Fulbright alumni and was fascinated by their experiences. I also met Curtis Stewart, a Fulbright Commission Board Member who described how the U.S. had introduced Fulbright exchanges as a form of soft power late in Portugal’s dictatorship era. U.S. Ambassador Frank Carlucci argued for such exchanges in the early 1970s, debating Henry Kissinger and other Nixon-era hawks who wanted a harder line against Portugal. Carlucci won the debate and many Fulbrighters such as President de Sousa embodied its success. (That approach in Portugal probably provided a template for NATO support later for democracies emerging from the Eastern Bloc, according to a book by historians Bernardino Gomes and Tiago Moreira de Sá, Carlucci versus Kissinger.)
On the 25th of April, I joined the Freedom Day celebrations along Avenida de Liberdade. I was struck by the high value that so many citizens, young and old, placed on democracy, their civic engagement, and freedom of expression.
Finally in May brought some breakthroughs in my Fulbright research and I spoke with communities that survived wildfires in 2017, and groups that had reduced the risks of wildfires with forest management. I also enjoyed a tour of RTP studios with environment reporter and editor Daniela Santiago, another ESCS faculty member. These glimpses into Portugal life, from local farmers to national news anchors, provided material for my work.
Like Portugal, the U.S. is grappling with extreme heat and wildfires. I believe that the insights of the people I spoke with will benefit audiences and communities in America. I wouldn’t have happened without Fulbright support.»
– Thank you so much for the inspiring reflection, David!
Also, check out ESCS- PLisboa’s editorial about David’s time there: https://www.escs.ipl.pt/editoriais/docente-da-johns-hopkins-university-na-escs