COMUNICATION

The doctoral thesis “Cirurgiões, práticas e saberes cirúrgicos na América portuguesa no século XVIII”, by the Brazilian Monique Palma, won the I Research Prize to Ibero-American Doctoral Theses convened by the European and Ibero-American Academy of Yuste Foundation. The prize was awarded in the framework of the I International Congress, “Relations Between Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean: A Meeting Space”, held between 18 and 20 March at the Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe. (20/03/2021)

Regarding this work, which deals with the exchange of people and knowledge between Europe and Latin America, and especially between Portugal and Brazil, the jury highlighted “its high scientific quality and the brilliance of the defence by its author”.

This doctoral thesis, focused on the eighteenth century, should be considered valid in the current world health situation, as it exposes the currents of knowledge and understanding that have existed for centuries between Europe and Ibero-America in a comprehensive, accurate and detailed way, as the thesis itself states that “it involves a study of the processes of the circulation of people and knowledge in a world that tends towards globalisation”.

Dr. Monique Palma highlighted the importance of this award to promote research and in this sense she expressed her satisfaction in receiving this award; a recognition that is “a stimulus to continue doing research work and to give my best in the search for knowledge”.

Doctor Palma detailed her work, which has focused on three main themes: the profile and a socio-professional framing of surgeries in Portuguese America; the medical-surgical practice in the eighteenth century in Portugal and Latin America; and finally, the circulation of knowledge in this area between these two regions.

Monique Palma has a PhD in History from the University of Porto, Portugal. MA in History from the University of Maringá, Brazil. She is a Member of the Transdisciplinary Culture, Space and Memory Research Centre of the University of Porto. She currently works as a researcher in the DUNES ~ o Mar, a Areia e as Gentes project of the History Centre of the Faculty of Letters of the University of Lisbon. She received the international research award at doctoral level “Pina Manique – From Enlightenment to the Liberal Revolution”, from the Portuguese Academy of History / Pina Manique Foundation, 2020.

The members of the jury were: Professor of American History at the University of Extremadura, Sigfrido Vázquez Cienfuegos; researcher and winner of the 4th Research Prize to Doctoral Theses “Fernando Serrano Mangas”, Natalia K. Denisova; Professor of Computer Languages and Systems at the University of Extremadura, Elena Jurado Málaga,; Professor of Art History at the University of Extremadura, Rosa Mª Perales Piqueres,; and the Director of the European and Ibero-American Academy of Yuste Foundation, Juan Carlos Moreno Piñero, who presided over the jury.

I RESEARCH PRIZE TO IBERO-AMERICAN DOCTORAL THESES

The European and Ibero-American Academy of Yuste Foundation convened the I Research Prize to Ibero-American Doctoral Theses in order to reward the best doctoral thesis that, having been read during the last two years in Spain, Portugal or any Ibero-American or European country, obtained the highest academic qualification, addresses the relations between Spain, Portugal or Europe with Ibero-America and vice versa as a topic from a historical, cultural, social, scientific, or from any other field of study. The Prize is endowed with € 3,000 and the publication of the doctoral thesis.

In this edition, 55 doctoral theses that were presented in 32 universities in fourteen European and Latin American countries were submitted: Spain, Portugal, France, Honduras, Peru, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Ecuador, Italy, Colombia, Venezuela, Cuba and Bolivia.