Since the beginning of the pandemic caused by the new Coronavirus, Portuguese universities and universities from other parts of the world have been developing projects in various areas of knowledge, with the aim of opening dialogue with society and contributing to the quality of the debate. In the field of human sciences there are initiatives ranging from discussions with researchers broadcast live on social networks, essay contests, podcasts among others. We list some of these exciting initiatives.

The Casa Comum community at the University of Porto has produced a series of podcasts on topics such as “Epidemic and Culture”, which deals with issues that touch on fear, solidarity, and the production of culture as a result of traumatic events. The contents are available at up.pt/casacomum

Casa de Sarmento, the University of Minho’s Center for Heritage Studies, has launched and made available online the book “The Spanish Flu of 1918”. The publication brings together sixteen papers that address “global perspectives on influenza and other pandemics”, “regional studies”, and “socio-cultural impacts of the pandemic”. Access the content at A Casa Sarmento.

The Institute for Comparative Literature Margarida Losa (ILCML) of the Faculty of Letters of the University of Porto is promoting “Bons Contacts, Bons Contagios”, which it describes as a challenge proposed to itself in order to carry out a collective work around O prazer de (com)parar. The ILCML proposes to “make this time without time into a time with time” and in this context to initiate a “Decameron of the 21st centuryThe Institute’s website will be published daily on the Institute’s website, “composed of texts or excerpts from literary works of various genres, by unpublished short texts of poetry or prose, and by images (painting, photography, film, video), from any time or latitude. Learn more at Good Contacts, Good Contagions.

In Brazil, researchers Paulo César Gomes (UFF), Carlos Benítez Trinidad (USC/CHAM-UNL) and Lucas Pedretti (IESP/UERJ) have created the project Quarantine Stories, which from Monday to Wednesday, at 7:30pm (GMT-3), through Facebook Live, a researcher will present different historical issues inserted in the theme of the week. The Live ‘s format consists of a “brief 20-minute oral presentation, followed by a debate based on questions submitted by the audience via chat.” On Thursdays, at 7:30 pm, there will be debates between different specialists. Follow the broadcasts in Quarantine Stories.

If you know of other academic initiatives linked to the COVID-19 pandemic and would like to share with the CITCEM community, please email us at citcem_news@letras.up.pt.