Ler em espanhol | Read in Spanish
Ler sobre a sessão em português | Read about the session, in Portuguese
Translation of the entry "Difundir ciencia para configurar el espacio público: el valor del documental en la educación colectiva", Sociabilidad y Élites, .
In recent decades, we have witnessed a proliferation of scientific avenues and gardens that expand upon traditional knowledge transfer, which was historically restricted to or legitimized by peer-reviewed articles and scientific books.
In this landscape of openness, scientific platforms like Hypotheses emerged, bringing together researchers who champion science blogging to disseminate their work. This offers the opportunity to integrate these blogs into indexed publishing models (such as the Hypotheses network itself, from which we write these lines). As an active author and webmaster in this field, I believe this avenue has tremendously boosted creativity when it comes to bringing science closer to the general public. Furthermore, some scientific blogs already feature DOI recognition—a validation that acknowledges this effort as a necessary undertaking for those dedicated to science (1).
Within this same context of democratizing knowledge, other doors have steadily opened toward society.
On one hand, science festivals began building direct bridges to the general public. A close example of this is the Heritales heritage festival, whose impact was already highlighted on the Hypotheses platform with a featured banner in 2017 (2). On the other hand, documentaries directed by researchers have begun to be validated as an ideal and highly engaging format for connecting with the social fabric. However, there is still a long way to go regarding institutional recognition: for these pieces to fulfill their purpose, it is indispensable that they have the proper technical and artistic resources (and yes, this usually requires financial investment and collaborating with professionals who have been doing this specialized work for decades).
In this line, one of the most powerful and necessary ways to transfer historical and sociological knowledge to today’s society is through the audiovisual medium (3). Following the impact of the first documentary on spaces of sociability in Évora, researcher María Zozaya-Montes (CIDEHUS-University of Évora) once again places scientific research at the center of public debate through a new documentary piece framed within the international BRIDGES project (PLANAPP-FCT).
In a global context marked by social fragmentation and an urgent need to strengthen democratic structures, this documentary takes on a fundamental pedagogical value, linked to the political vision of promoting democracy in society through education. It is no longer just a matter of reclaiming the tangible and intangible memory of historical and community centers, but of empirically demonstrating how arts and culture are key pillars for shaping public space and generating collective education tools, both formal and informal.
In the face of contemporary concerns regarding urban isolation, the fragmentation of community, the erosion of social engagement (a growing preference for digital-first engagement), and the weakening of public bonds, the dissemination of science through this highly accessible format achieves a dual purpose:
First, it democratizes access to knowledge. Documentaries on the heritages of sociability regarding associations and leisure spaces (4) translate decades of rigorous scientific and archival research into an engaging and digestible visual language for any passerby, everyday citizen, and local community. Second, it contributes to empowering citizenship. By highlighting the ways in which our ancestors built collective identities and arenas for debate through forms of sociability, associationism, and cultural spaces, the documentary acts as a mirror that fosters social inclusion, equality, and democratic participation today. As the director has shown in her research over the last few decades, these formulas for union and cultural sociability were typical in the Iberian Peninsula and followed European trends characteristic of the 19th and 20th centuries (5).
Regarding the realization of the documentary through the direction of María Zozaya-Montes and the team production alongside Fernando Mendes and Francisco Brito, it demonstrates that the history of sociability and culture in the past is not merely a static object of study for specialists. On the contrary, by being screened and debated in live public and collective spaces, science steps out of university offices to fulfill its true mission: providing society with critical tools to build a more just, cohesive, and participatory future.
To debate these issues and share in person this documentary, we convened the session held at the historic Sociedade União Eborense (Bota Rasa), where it was premiered in person on June 19 . For those who were unable to attend, this second documentary—”The Heritages of Sociability: Leisure Spaces in Évora”— is available online for free. It was recorded in Spanish, and has subtitles in portuguese and english to ensure accessibility.
It will feature a debate led by a panel of experts from the artistic, theatrical, and academic fields, with the purpose of establishing a dynamic bridge between the past and present of our cultural and heritage life. Historically, arts and leisure spaces have played a crucial role in informal education, social criticism, and forms of resistance. Today, that relevance projects directly onto modern-day democratic and inclusive challenges. Our main objective is to debate how arts, culture, and heritage continue to be essential pillars for the promotion of equality and the strengthening of democracy.

Photo: Filipa Coelho.
Guest panelists for the debate:
The debate featured both theoretical and practical insights from prominent figures in Évora’s cultural and academic scenes:
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José Russo, Artistic Director of CENDREV (Évora Dramatic Center) and actor, who played a crucial role as a mediator by opening the theater’s doors to support the filming of the documentary.
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Christine Zurbach, Full Professor Emérita at the School of Arts of the University of Évora (EA-UÉ), with an extensive research background in forms of cultural leisure, particularly historical puppetry.
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Tiago Navarro, Director of the School of Arts of the University of Évora (EA-UÉ) and a scholar of the role of typographers in the development of Évora’s public sphere, who champions the active involvement of the arts in the city’s cultural development.
The session was moderated by María Zozaya-Montes (CIDEHUS-UÉ), principal investigator of the BRIDGES project, director of the documentary, and a specialist in sociability and leisure spaces.

Meeting of experts, local partnerships, and community participation
The session was held in partnership with the historic Sociedade União Eborense – Bota Rasa (founded in 1839), with the support of its president, Filipe Rebelo, who for several years has been promoting and fostering cultural activities in this emblematic 19th-century historical space.
The debate also benefited from a highly active audience and the critical mass typical of these gatherings, enriching the session with significant contributions. Key interventions included those by Takis Sarantopoulos, who highlighted the relevance of the action-research methodology demonstrated in the documentary; José Rodrigues dos Santos, who addressed the mise-en-scène of various social classes in the 19th century and the role of staged public social representation; and Alexandra Charúa, who emphasized the crucial role of typographers in stimulating the public sphere—often clandestinely and associated with principles of change and social equality, with the active support of intellectuals.
The meeting also saw a strong presence of collaborators from the BRIDGES project, whose involvement continues to encourage active participation from the student body in this type of initiatives. Among them, notable mentions go to Filipa Coelho, in the technical secretariat, as well as Carina Lopes and Déborah Pimenta, whose participation ensures the future continuity of these actions (7).
Access to the Documentary: The film remains available online for free and served as the starting point for discussing how the architecture of leisure, theater, and public space have shaped — and continue to shape — collective identity, informal education, and citizenship.
Free Admission: June 19, 2026, 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Bota Rasa (Praça do Giraldo 88, Évora)
Debate with specialist after projection of the Documentary at Bota Rasa. Photo: Maria Zozaya.
Translation of the entry "Difundir ciencia para configurar el espacio público: el valor del documental en la educación colectiva", firstly written in spanish for this site Sociabilidad y Élites.
Translation of the entry “Difundir ciencia para configurar el espacio público: el valor del documental en la educación colectiva”, firstly written in spanish.
Art, Culture, and Inclusion in the BRIDGES Project
Aligned with the guidelines of the international BRIDGES project, the debate championed the premise that arts and culture are fundamental pillars for community development and the promotion of social inclusion. By reclaiming the memory of spaces of sociability, the session aims to demonstrate how access to culture and the reconfiguration of public space empower citizenship, promote equality, and generate essential collective education tools (both formal and informal) for building more just, participatory, and democratic societies.
QUOTED REFERENCES:
- Frequiently Asked Questions Hypotheses, ver
- Maria Zozaya (17 de agosto de 2017). “¿Tu madre se lee tus artículos?” Heritales, o cómo difundir ciencia en una pantalla. SOCIABILIDAD y ÉLITES. ISSN 2444-8052. Recuperado 19 de junio de 2026 de https://doi.org/10.58079/u9q5
- María Zozaya-Montes, «Aprender sobre sociabilidad viendo un documental sobre patrimonio asociativo” (Reseña del estreno del documental en la NEI, 30 Sept 2022), Socyhume: Sociabilidad y Patrimonio, ISSN 2952-1130, Disponible en: https://socyhume.hypotheses.org/1549
- Sugerencia del cita del documental 1: Maria Zozaya-Montes, «Os patrimónios da sociabilidade I, As associações em Évora», Évora, CIDEHUS-UÉ, 2022, Video em YouTube , DOI: https://doi.org/10.60469/NDGG-5Q41 | Sugerencia del cita del documental 2 : María Zozaya-Montes (Dir.) «OS PATRIMÓNIOS DA SOCIABILIDADE II Espaços de Lazer em Évora» (15’22”). Portugal: CIDEHUS-Univ. Évora, 2025. Video em YouTube. DOI: https://doi.org/10.60469/RXC6-KJ40
- About the research of María Zozaya-Montes en este campo, ver publicaciones disponibles gratuitamente online en los repositorios: Dspace, Dialnet, o Academia.edu, por ejemplo.
- About the session: Maria Zozaya-Montes (17 de Junho de 2026). Debate “As artes e a cultura para configurar o espaço público e a educação” e estreia do documentário “Os patrimónios da sociabilidade, os espaços de lazer em Évora”(na Bota Rasa). «BRIDGES». Ponte Cultural. Recovered 18 June 202, https://bridges.hypotheses.org/9107
- See the rest of the BRIDGES encounters which have been realised whith this and other collaborators: a) Zozaya-Montes, M. & Peralta, C. (2026, 17-18 March). Women In Focus. BRIDGES International Ist Seminar. https://bridges.hypotheses.org/ b) Zozaya-Montes, M. (2026, 15-17 April). I Have A Dream. BRIDGES International IInd Seminar. https://bridges.hypotheses.org/ c) Zozaya-Montes, M. (2026, 13-15 May). Invisible limitations. BRIDGES International IIIrd Seminar. https://bridges.hypotheses.org/
Credits of the top image:
Screening of the documentary followed by debate with specialists in theatre and Arts. Photo: Filipa Coelho (BRIDGES project).
The BRIDGES project is hosted by CIDEHUS at the University of Évora, under the coordination of Principal Investigator María Zozaya-Montes. It is funded by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) through the "Science for Policy" (S4P25) call, a joint initiative by PLANAPP and the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) [Project Ref: S4P25-LT24: BRIDGES]. Work "developed under the Science4Policy 2025, an anual Science for Policy Project call, an initiative promoted by Centre for Planning and Evaluation of Public Policies in partnership with the Foundation for Science and Technology, financed by Portugal's Recovery and Resilience Plan".













































