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A major contribution to the history of European anthropology, this book highlights the Porto School of Anthropology and analyses the work of its main mentor, Mendes Correia (1888-1960). It goes beyond a Portuguese focus to present a wider comparative analysis in which the colonial empire, knowledge of origins, ethnic identity and cultural practices all receive special attention. The analysis takes into account the fact that nationalism, as associated with an ethno-racial paradigm, decisively influenced discourse and scientific and political practices.
“The present volume is an important contribution to the history of anthropology, written by one of the most important Portuguese anthropologists in recent years…Ferraz de Matos’s book…emphasises a specific (colonial) context – not something that many scholars feel comfortable with doing…Iit will be appreciated both by anthropologists and readers interested in the history of the human sciences.” • AJEC
“A well-written and stimulating study about one of the central figures in the history of Portuguese anthropology…Certainly, this book can be considered one of the most important publications in history of anthropology of the last few years and will become one of the main references for the history of Portuguese anthropology.” • Anthropos
“Matos delivers this intellectual biography as a historical tour de force that opens numerous gates for further decisive new research. In this sense, the monograph is indeed a landmark study and challenging but important reading for historians and students in history and anthropology, especially focusing on the history of science, the transformation of Portuguese urban society, and late colonialism and reform attempts.” • H-Net Reviews in the Humanities and Social Sciences
“The work highlights the relevance of the ‘decolonial turn’ to understand the stereotypes and ways in which the Portuguese Colonial Empire reflected the ideas propagated by its anthropologists. … An indispensable reading for those seeking to understand the connection between anthropology, nationalism and colonialism in 20th century Europe.” • História, Ciências, Saúde – Manguinhos
Patrícia Ferraz de Matos is an Integrated Researcher at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Education and Development Studies (CeiED) at Lusófona University since 2026. She was an Assistant Researcher at the Institute of Social Sciences, University of Lisbon (ULisboa) (2013–2025), and is a member of the teaching staff of the PhD Programme in Anthropology at ULisboa since 2013. She is an Associate Editor of the Anthropological Journal of European Cultures (2020–present), Coordinator of the Europeanist Network of the EASA (2020–2026), Deputy Director of Análise Social (2021–2026), and, since 2019, corresponding member in Portugal of HOAN (History of Anthropology Network, EASA). She is Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, elected in 2019, and since 2025 is Secretary-Elect of the Society for the Anthropology of Europe (SAE, American Anthropological Association). She is the author of The Colours of the Empire (Berghahn 2013 [Victor de Sá Prize of Contemporary History 2005]) and co-editor of Decolonizing Europe: Ethnographies of National and Transnational Projects (Berghahn 2026).
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements
List of Acronyms and Abbreviations
List of Archives and Libraries
Chapter 1. Biography of Mendes Correia (1888-1960)
Chapter 2. The Institutionalization of Anthropology in Portugal: The Case of the Porto School of Anthropology
Chapter 3. A Diversity of Topics Attached to the Study of Humanity
Chapter 4. Practical Uses of Anthropology
Chapter 5. Mendes Correia’s Political Legacy
Conclusion. The Legacy of Mendes Correia and of the Porto School of Anthropology
Appendix 1: Volumes of Miscellaneous from the Porto School of Anthropology
Appendix 2: Foreign Authors in the Miscellaneous of the Porto School of Anthropology
References
Index