The new fado of the students: Proximity between utopia and architecture education

Abstract

Academia is in crisis, and the reflection on its repositioning highlights the urgency of a paradigm shift. Today, the unexpected (re)emergence of countercultural practices in Portugal raises doubts about whether Architecture education is truly fulfilling its mission. This chapter examines ancient processes of reflection and action on the city and society, aiming to understand their influence. It recalls the importance of utopian thinking as a driving force for change and the practice of radical pedagogies as a response to new social desires. In an attempt to recognize the power of these mechanisms—utopian thinking and radical pedagogies in Architecture education—historical events that shaped both Portugal and the world are described here through the connections between concepts such as revolution, people, and radical thinking, and agents like schools, students, and education, all of which share utopia as the central figure in the narrative of social change in Portugal. In conclusion, contemporary utopianism, though real and teachable, remains distant from the academic curriculum. The absence of this methodology and these practices in Portugal makes this a unique issue in Portuguese Architecture education, highlighting the urgency of their revival.