Rivista di studi portoghesi e brasiliani. 5. 2003

Portuguese remains one of the most widely spoken (and written) languages of the world, as it can count among its ranks not only the land of Portugal and Brazil but also many former Portuguese colonies in Africa (Angola, Mozambique, Guinea Bissau, Cape Verde, the islands of Sao Tome' and Principe) and the Far East (from Macao to the eastern portion of the island of Timor). This geographic dissemination continues to represent a guarantee of vitality, both on the strictly linguistic plane and also, one need hardly mention, on the cultural plane in general.
It is impossible to summarize the close-meshed web of exchanges, influxes and reciprocal influences that forge links among the various Portuguese-speaking lands, but it is certainly worth recalling that the far-flung geographic extension, welded by the use of a common language, has historically been the privileged space for the most intense cultural intermingling among peoples, traditions, and societies of the greatest diversity. In a globalized world, this network of interaction and dialogue may become the ideal dimension in which to evaluate the modes and effects of a cultural hybridization which Europe, and Italy in particular, are called upon to address within a brief stretch of time, and to address with more refined tools than the current crude policy of "proscription".
The Rivista di Studi Portoghesi e Brasiliani which engages ideally in dialogue - albeit enhanced by many innovations and fine-tuning to the spirit of the age will now endeavour to inquire into some of the major questions linked to the cultural universe of the Portuguese language, a universe that is at one and the same time delimited and limitless. The Editors have thus decided to subdivide each number into two parts: one devoted to in-depth investigation of a specific theme, and the other open to contributions by scholars of varying scientific or academic background, who will seek to illustrate and decipher specific aspects of this evocative cultural dimension.