Boaventura de Sousa Santos

The heinous nature of the crime against the journalists and cartoonists from Charlie Hebdo makes it extremely difficult to offer a cool-headed analysis of what was entailed in this barbaric act, its context and precedents, as well as its impact and future repercussions. Still an analysis is urgently needed, lest we fan the flames of a fire that one of these days may well hit our children’s schools, our homes, our institutions and our consciences. Here...

History shows – and current events confirm – that periods of acute crisis or deprivation are typically not the times when citizens will rise against an unjust state of affairs, forcing institutions and those with political power to significantly change the course of government. Although comparisons are always difficult to make, one would expect young people in Greece, Portugal and Spain, ruled by conservative governments that are hijacking their...

In spite of their specificity, the violent riots in London and other British cities should not be seen as an isolated phenomenon. They are a disturbing sign of our time. In contemporary societies a high inflammable fuel is flowing underneath our collective lives unsuspected of families, communities, social organizations, and politicians. When it rises to the surface, propelled by a spark-like incident, it may provoke a social fire of unimaginable proportions...