Colonial heritage and ideological tension: The colonial legacy in the urban landscape of the city of Porto

Abstract

This article critically examines the enduring presence of colonial monuments in contemporary urban spaces, focusing on the Monument to the Portuguese Colonial Effort in Porto. Originally erected as part of the 1934 First Colonial Exhibition, the sculpture served as a material expression of imperial ideology and Estado Novo propaganda. Today, it remains a highly visible yet largely uncontextualised artefact within the city’s public space and tourist itineraries. The paper interrogates the monument’s symbolic afterlife, arguing that its continued presence without interpretive framing perpetuates forms of cultural and historical violence, reinforcing hegemonic narratives while silencing alternative voices. Drawing on postcolonial theory, memory studies, and heritage debates, this study explores the potential of re-signification as a strategy for engaging critically with controversial monuments. Rather than advocating for removal or destruction, it supports contextualisation and dialogue as tools for fostering historical accountability. In this light, the article considers the role of tourism as both a risk and an opportunity in the mediation of colonial memory. It argues that tourism, if critically curated, can function as a pedagogical instrument capable of transforming passive spectatorship into active engagement. In this sense, monuments such as the Monument to the Portuguese Colonial Effort offer not only insight into Portugal’s imperial past, but also a platform through which the country’s postcolonial identity can be negotiated, challenged, and reimagined in the public sphere.