Conheci a Sandra Barrilaro em Santiago de Compostela, num evento em que falou da sua experiência como membro do grupo de ativistas Mulheres rumo a Gaza que desafiam o bloqueio de Israel a Gaza, para mostrar a sua solidariedade com a resistência das mulheres palestinas...

I met Sandra Barrilaro in Santiago de Compostela, in a session where she spoke about her experience as a member of the activist group Women’s Boat to Gaza, which defy Israel’s blockade of Gaza to show its solidarity with the resistance of Palestinian women...

Henry Jenkins, professor provost de Comunicação, Jornalismo, Artes Cinematográficas e Educação na Universidade do Sul da Califórnia, está no centro de algumas das mais relevantes discussões mantidas nos campos da comunicação e dos media ao longo dos últimos 30 anos. Textual poachers (Jenkins, 1992/2013) marcou uma viragem decisiva nos estudos sobre a fandom, realçando que os fãs e as suas culturas (participativas) podiam e deviam ser olhados para além dos preconceitos maioritariamente vigentes até então. No início deste século, enquanto as discussões sobre o conceito de convergência estavam centradas em fatalidades tecnológicas e em imperativos económicos, Henry Jenkins enfatizou a necessidade de se prestar atenção às suas dimensões culturais (nomeadamente àquelas derivadas ou inspiradas pela crescente visibilidade e força de culturas participativas), com os seus esforços a culminarem na publicação de um outro livro, Convergence culture (Jenkins, 2008). Não surpreendentemente, a participação mantém-se como um conceito relevante nas pesquisas atuais de Henry Jenkins. Nesta entrevista, algumas das ideias de trabalhos anteriores são revisitadas e outras de investigações mais recentes (tal como a de imaginação cívica) são discutidas. Simultaneamente, são também debatidos os dilemas teóricos e metodológicos, do presente e do futuro, que qualquer pessoa que procure compreender a participação enfrenta, bem como lacunas na investigação existente. As especificidades das culturas das crianças e dos jovens quando encontram os desafios da participação guiaram esta conversa.

A pandemia da COVID-19 exacerbou de modo dramático desigualdades sociais pré-existentes e tornou mais urgente a consciencialização da necessidade de transformação social. Os movimentos sociais para a descolonização do conhecimento e dos sistemas de governança ganharam novo ímpeto assim como as demandas de reparação histórica e de justiça climática, sanitária e alimentar. A reparação histórica tem sido por vezes equacionada apenas em termos de restituição de bens materiais ou de compensação financeira, mas trata-se de uma tarefa bem mais complexa que passa necessariamente por tornar a produção de conhecimento um processo mais envolvente e participativo, dentro e fora da academia, colocando em diálogo diversos saberes com vista à construção de futuros mais justos e inclusivos...

Dominique Wolton (1947) needs no introduction within social sciences and outside the Anglo-Saxon sphere. There are 35 works by the French sociologist spread across 26 countries and 23 languages. Outside the academy, his recognition is equally wide, belonging, for example, to the National Order of the Legion of Honour, the highest French distinction established by Napoleon and limited to only 75 living people. With a PhD in Sociology, he admits that his main objective is to study communication in an interdisciplinary fashion, focusing on the relationship between the individual, technique, culture and society. Among the many books published, the following stand out for discussion: Éloge du Grand Public. Une Théorie Critique de la Television (In Praise of the General Public: A Critical Theory of Television; Wolton, 1990); Penser la Communication (Thinking Communication; Wolton, 1997); Internet et Après? Une Théorie Critique des Nouveaux Médias (Internet and Then? A Critical Theory of New Media; Wolton, 1999); Sauver la Communication (Save the Communication; Wolton, 2005); Informer N’est pas Communiquer (Informing Is Not Communicating; Wolton, 2009); and Communiquer, C’Est Négocier (To Communicate Is to Negotiate; Wolton, 2022).

Sustainability has become a very relevant issue due to several factors such as increased pollution, climate change, scarcity of resources, high waste, social problems related to human rights such as exploitation of child labour, lack of acceptance of diversity in the workplace and wage inequalities, workers' health and safety problems, among others. In this context, pressures also increase from different stakeholders, external and internal, for organizations to change their behaviour concerning sustainability. Given its role in production and consumption systems, it is considered that organizations can proactively contribute to sustainability. The integration of sustainability objectives /principles in all aspects of the organization, in different activities and functional areas, including those involving its supply chain partners and other stakeholders such as non-governmental organizations, are critical factors for improving sustainability. Sustainability requires thinking beyond the boundaries of an entity or organization. To manage and improve sustainability in supply chains is essential to consider several aspects such as: taking into account a Triple Bottom Line perspective, where the different dimensions of sustainability (economic, environmental and social) are considered; have a short-term and long-term perspective; consider the expectations and needs of supply chain organizations and their stakeholders; and, integrate sustainability objectives at intra and inter-organizational levels in the management of the different processes or flows of materials, information, and capital between companies along the supply chain. However, embedding sustainability in organizations and supply chain requires developing efforts and the implementation of sustainability practices and creates some challenges for organizations. The main objective of this thesis is to propose a Supply Chain Sustainability Maturity Model that can be used as: i) a self-assessment tool to provide a diagnosis and broader understanding of how and which organizational sustainability practices are implemented in individual organizations and their supply chain; ii) an instrument to help develop a roadmap for sustainability behaviour improvement, and iii) a benchmarking tool to evaluate and compare standards and best practices among organizations and supply chains. A methodology based on six steps, suggested in the literature on the development of maturity models, was used to develop the model. The construction of the maturity model was based on a literature review and had the participation of five Portuguese companies in the mould sector for its improvement, application and validation. The model aims to mitigate the shortcomings of previous models and offer a holistic perspective aligned with the supply chain sustainability components. Thus, the model presents a differentiating character when considering three integrative perspectives: Intra and inter-organizational sustainability practices involving different partners in the supply chain; the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainability; and other critical areas for sustainability: sustainability governance, product and process level, customer and supplier management, and focus on stakeholders. The model considers five maturity levels, making it possible to determine the maturity level for each critical area globally considering the company and its supply chain. As it makes it possible to monitor the progress of efforts towards sustainability, the model includes also a temporal dimension inherent to the concept of sustainability. Future research may help consolidate the model.

The exploration phase of formulating a research problem is crucial for transforming a starting question—which must be clear, realistic, and concise—into a structured and goal-oriented topic. This transition occurs when general curiosity evolves into a viable scientific project. This phase increases familiarity with the topic, leading to a theoretical and conceptual construction through which the phenomenon will be interrogated. Thus, to formulate a research problem, we can use reading techniques, exploratory interviews, and complementary research methods. This reflection will present what each stage entails, describing the most commonly used criteria and offering supported suggestions for more effective research practice.