Macau — The City University of Macau (CityU) has officially commenced the international conference "What’s in a Language? – Reflections on the Portuguese Language in Asia (Memory and Culture)", examining the language within a colonial and post-colonial context.

The opening ceremony welcomed distinguished guests, including a representative from the Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEJ); the Consul General of Portugal in Macau, Ambassador Alexandre Leitão; members of the Forum Macao; representatives from the education sector, including the University of Macau, Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST), Escola Portuguesa de Macau (EPM), and IPOR; as well as figures from prominent institutions such as AICEP Portugal Global, Fundação Oriente, Casa de Portugal em Macau, and the Rui Cunha Foundation.

A Collaborative Academic Platform

This conference is part of a joint research project between the City University of Macau and the University of São Paulo (USP). It is organized by the Portuguese Section of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, with the support of the Institute for Research on Portuguese Speaking Countries (IROPC) at CityU, and generous funding from the Macau Foundation.

Over the course of three days, CityU serves as a high-level international platform for research presentations and academic debate—marking the third time in four years that the university has hosted a major event dedicated to Portuguese Studies.

Global Participation

The hybrid event features around 40 in-person and online participants spanning four continents: Asia, Europe, Africa, and South America. Scholars, researchers, and graduate students have gathered from Mainland China, the Macao Special Administrative Region, Brazil, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Portugal, and Spain, alongside four keynote speakers representing Macau, Brazil, and Portugal.

The conference runs for three days, fostering profound academic dialogue on memory, culture, and the evolving role of the Portuguese language in global and regional contexts.