Diogo Ramada Curto, historian who challenged official narratives, has died

Diogo Sassetti Ramada Curto, a distinct and often polemical voice in contemporary historiography, passed away this Saturday (April 11) at the age of 66. As Director-General of the National Library of Portugal since April 2024 and a professor at the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences at the New University of Lisbon, his death leaves a void in critical thought regarding the Portuguese empire and society. A student of Vitorino Magalhães Godinho, Ramada Curto was known for his international academic career, including the Vasco da Gama Chair at the European University Institute in Florence, and his significant contributions to the publishing sector, where he introduced key international social science works to Portugal. He was widely respected for his critical approach to traditional narratives of Portuguese expansion.