Preserving, exploring, and sharing Portuguese Canadian history
WHAT’S NEW?
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TDSB’s 2025 Portuguese SPEAKING Heritage Month
Our lead director, Gilberto Fernandes, was invited to give a brief talk about the PCHP during the launch of this year’s TDSB’s Portuguese Speaking Heritage Month celebrations, at the Gallery of the Portuguese Pioneers. The presentation focused on the multiple ways the PCHP’s collections at the Clara Thomas Archives, its digitized records, and exhibitions can…
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Visit from Camões Institute’s Chief of Division for Portuguese Language Education Abroad, Rui Vicente de Azevedo
Yesterday, we had the pleasure of receiving at the Clara Thomas Archives the Camões Institute’s Chief of Division for Portuguese Language Education Abroad, Rui Vicente de Azevedo; the Consul-General of Portugal Ana Luisa Riquito; and the Camões Institute’s Coordinator for Portuguese Language Educaion in Canada, Maria do Rosário Gaspar. We at the Portuguese Canadian History…
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Second Meeting of the Oral history @ the Archives working Group – with Dr. Raquel Varela and Dr. Roberto Santa
Yesterday we had the second meeting of our oral history at the archives working group. This time we were visited by the Portuguese and Brazilian historians Dr. Raquel Varela and Dr. Roberto Della Santa. We are grateful to Carmen Carvalho, Fernando Costa, Marcie Ponte, and Vasco Osvaldo Santos for taking part in this session, and…
WHO WE ARE
The Portuguese Canadian History Project (PCHP) is an incorporated non-profit organization founded in Toronto in 2008 by Dr. Gilberto Fernandes and Dr. Susana Miranda, and later joined by Dr. Raphael Costa and Dr. Emanuel da Silva. Since 2009, we have partnered with the Clara Thomas Archives & Special Collections (CTASC), York University Libraries. Our objectives are to:
- Preserve the collective memory of Portuguese immigrants and their descendants in Canada.
- Democratize access to historical knowledge in its production and consumption.
HOW WE CAME TO BE
As graduate scholars researching the history of Portuguese immigrants and their descendants in Canada, we encountered few records in public archives that reflected the complex experiences, networks, and dynamics in the communities that we studied. In the course of our oral history fieldwork, we found that multiple individuals and organizations held on to rich collections of historical records that they produced and amassed. In some cases, these collections were at risk of being lost forever. The PCHP emerged in response to this reality and to bridge the gap between public archives and immigrant communities.
What we do
Archive
We seek historical records in the hands of private individuals and organizations; assess their contents and state of preservation; facilitate their donation to the CTASC; provide context, translation, and metadata for their archival processing; and assist in their digitization. Since September 2009, we have helped transfer 10 collections from authors, community advocates and organizers, a documentary filmmaker, a newsman, a poet, a politician, scholars, a social service agency, and a union local.
Educate
Using the records that we have transferred to the CTASC and our own expertise has historians of the Portuguese in Canada, we have developed multiple public and digital history initiatives, including physical and online exhibitions, public lectures and panels, TV documentaries, and walking tours. When possible, we include our archival donors in the development of these educational projects.
Collaborate
Besides creating and animating the archives, our model is predicated on a pragmatic collaborative approach, whereby we complement and empower our partners as we seek common goals. Besides the CTASC, we have worked with numerous organizations and individuals, including academics, artists, researchers, diplomats, high school teachers, secondary and post-secondary students, documentary filmmakers, public history professionals, and local businesses. We are also proud to have served as a template and inspiration to other community archives and public history organizations in Toronto.
Portuguese Canadian History Project 