Conference “Between Ruin and Reconstruction: Law, Society and Hope after Calamity”
Conference “Between Ruin and Reconstruction: Law, Society and Hope after Calamity”
2026-05-19
The event, part of the cycle “The World We Have. The World We Want”, reflected on the role of Law and society in reconstruction following periods of crisis and included the participation of the President of the Board of Directors of ISMT.
The Convento São Francisco, in Coimbra, hosted the conference “Between Ruin and Reconstruction: Law, Society and Hope after Calamity” on 19 May 2026. The initiative constituted the second session of the cycle “The World We Have. The World We Want”, included in the "Conferências na Caixa" programme, marking the 150th anniversary of Caixa Geral de Depósitos.
Under the scientific coordination of lecturer Eduardo Paz Ferreira, the meeting focused on analysing the vulnerability of societies in the face of current crises. Bearing in mind that recent calamities have exposed flaws in social cohesion and institutions, the programme aimed to reflect on how Law and collective responsibility should organise the public response to devastation.
The Instituto Superior Miguel Torga (ISMT) was represented at this meeting by Manuel Castelo Branco, President of the Board of Directors. His intervention took place in the afternoon panel, under the theme "Reconstructing: territory, economy and meaning", sharing the debate with Álvaro Nascimento, Ana Carvalho and Cristina Robalo Cordeiro.
Regarding the framework of this initiative, the ISMT Board states: "The academy has a duty to participate actively in the public space and in the reflection on the reconstruction of society after periods of rupture. Given the territorial and human impacts caused by calamities, knowledge and structured dialogue are essential mechanisms for finding sustainable answers. This meeting allowed for the objective debate of ideas and contributed to the collective goal of building fairer institutions prepared for the challenges of the future."
The conference programme also encompassed the morning panel "When everything fails: decision, society and limits", which included the participation of João Pedro Matos Fernandes, José Reis, Luísa Schmidt and Pedro Costa Gonçalves. The closing sessions were delivered by Ana Abrunhosa, Mayor of Coimbra, in the morning, and by D. Virgílio do Nascimento Antunes, Bishop of Coimbra, together with António Morais, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Caixa Geral de Depósitos, in the afternoon.
The framework of this conference focused on the vulnerability of societies to calamities and how these weaken trust and social cohesion. In this context, the event promoted a reflection on how Law assumes its role in protecting guarantees and organising the public response. The debate maintained that reconstruction requires leadership, knowledge and responsibility, assuming each crisis as an opportunity to build a fairer, stronger and more human society.