Presentation of the book “The Triumph of Conformism” at CMTG

“The Triumph of Conformism” is a lightly designed collection that observes how Portuguese society faces critical structural challenges, using singular stories to map the country with a satirical unease. The writing, between flashes of lucidity and existential fatigue, seeks to portray a society that has perfected conformism, elevating it to the level of national performance, where passivity has ceased to be a defect to assert itself as a heritage virtue.

Confirming, through daily practice, the hypothesis that our culture is cradled in a generalized detachment, flavored by melancholy and civic disinterest – the ideal ground is created for radicalisms that arise less as a surprise than as a side effect.

In brief visits to everyday themes – because overthinking causes allergies – the author aims only for moderate discomfort: a furrowed brow, a discreet tic, the suspicion that something is amiss. The goal is simple: for us to recognize ourselves in the mirror without drama and, with luck, gather energy to face the changing world – or at least to get off the couch for a few minutes, but with an almost hypersonic propulsion towards building a slightly more satisfying collective life.

José Manuel Figueiredo Santos holds a PhD in Cultural Sociology from Nova University of Lisbon.

This book gathers writings waiting for curious readers, patient enough to think and available to smile.