Building cultural bridges to foster a more democratic and inclusive society: the case of the Alentejo (BRIDGES). S4P-25 Policy Brief 8048/2025. PLANAPP /CIDEHUS-UÉ

This policy brief by the BRIDGES project highlights the vital role of culture in enhancing social inclusion and strengthening democracy.

"The Education at a Glance report placed Portugal in a critical position in terms of educational standards on the global 
stage, an issue directly linked to economic inequalities and access to education (OECD, 2026). The situation in 
Portugal’s poorest region, the Alentejo (non-coastal), is exacerbated by other difficulties such as poor transport links 
and low population density, which make it difficult to overcome structural inequalities. It is necessary to counteract the 
historical and economic inequalities in the Alentejo, which manifest as social and educational inequality.The “Ponte 
Cultural-BRIDGES” project proposes to act through culture to overcome these differences and promote inclusion 
among the most vulnerable groups. To this end, the project: 1) Begins with a review of the literature on these 
inequalities in areas affecting the fundamental rights of the most vulnerable groups (BRIDGES, 2026). 2) Carries out 
work on cultural agents and culture: data collection, surveys, mapping, interviews. 3) Promotes knowledge 
dissemination, reviews the latest international trends and explores forms of inclusion through art (BRIDGES, 2026). 
These complementary approaches highlighted the urgent need to implement strategic and investment measures to 
support small cultural organisations and existing historical associations in the Alentejo; to carry out initiatives through 
culture to support groups most vulnerable to inequality (women, people of colour, the poor, the elderly, those with 
neurodivergence, disabilities, and mental health conditions); develop stable support networks; promote visibility in 
communication, so as to integrate the region’s reality on an equal footing, taking into account its human, cultural and 
natural potential, highlighted by Évora’s Capital of Culture 2027"

Read the findings and policy recommendations on how art and cultural actions strengthen democracy in Alentejo, Portugal, grounded in European data and state-of-the-art research.

Quote suggestion:

Zozaya-Montes, M, Pinto, A. C., Coelho, F., & Schiavottiello, N.; Mendes, F. Godinho, J. (2026). Building cultural 
bridges to foster a more democratic and inclusive society: the case of the Alentejo (BRIDGES). S4P-25 Policy Brief 
8048/2025. PLANAPP/CIDEHUS-Universidade de Évora. https://doi.org/10.60469/4VRA-P304