Transnational Forum Corporatism – Romania and Portugal

Overview

Corporatism was a defining economic and social ideology of the European interwar, building on political ideas with a long history, from antiquity to medieval Catholicism and Christian democracy. It defines society by directly referencing organicist metaphors that have to do with functions of integration and function of certain groups in society. Consequently, it sees people organized in corporate groups, kept together by their function and utility in society, and operating on the basis of common professional or social interests. The interventionist vision of the state, which should hold ultimate authority over social and economic interests transformed it into a pillar of fascist thought in Italy, as well as Portugal and Romania, and globally. In this transnational forum, we looked at similarities, differences and the collective memory of corporate ideas in Romania and Portugal. In Bucharest, the event took place on November 5th 2024 and hosted interventions by prof. Victor Rizescu (University of Bucharest) and dr. Bruno Madeira (CITCEM/University of Porto). The discussion focused on the particularities of the Romanian corporate ideas in the work of Mihail Manoilescu, their circulation and transformations, for instance in Portugal, and an in-depth debate about the limits of corporate thought concerning fascism.