Vila Verde: an ethnography of the present

“Before addressing the work Vila Verde: an ethnography of the present, it seems important to leave a brief note about the project that gave rise to it. I do so for two fundamental reasons. Firstly, because it illustrates the possibility of a fruitful interaction between the university and the community in which it operates. This book originated from the desire of Vila Verde’s local authorities to have “a book on the ethnography of the municipality” (p.7) produced, and from that desire, a collaborative project was born that is not exhausted by the work presented here. The second aspect that seems important to highlight is the exemplary nature of the relationship between the two parties involved. Although this work was born from the request of a local authority interested in projecting a certain image of itself, the truth is that there is no concession to simplification. True to its title, this “ethnography of the present” does not resort to the shadowy terrain of evoking supposed survivals of archaic practices, nor to the search for eventual and debatable municipal singularities. Instead, it questions the very meaning of the concept of heritage, rejecting preconceived and more or less consensual ideas, prioritizing dynamism over immobility, and the sense of lived experience over mere conservation. It is easy to imagine that the result of this stance is significantly distant from what was in the initial idea of the local councillors, as we do not have here what is common in local ethnographies of municipal inspiration: a parade of costumes and traditions, legends and superstitions, the enumeration of more or less famous monuments, or even, as a concluding touch, one or two historical or ethnographic “curiosities” that always add color and lightness to the final work. The rejection of this path, certainly more consensual, shows that it is possible to reconcile academic rigor with the production of works initiated by local authorities. In this regard, it is fair to note the openness of the local council to the direction chosen by the authors”.