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=3D?iso-8859-1?Q?Portuguese_cultural_creativity_or_Desenrascan=3DE=7o=3D2C_disen
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Nuno Rodrigues
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Aug 02, 2004 10:15 PDT
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Desenrascan=E7o (loosely translatable as "disentanglement") is a Portuguese=
word used, in common language in Portugal, to express an ability to solve a=
problem without having the adequate tools or the knowledge to do so, by use=
of imaginative resources or by applying knowledge to new situations.
Achieved when resulting in a hypothetical good-enough solution. When that
good solution doesn't occur we get a failure (enrascan=E7o =97 entanglement=
).
Most Portuguese people strongly believe it to be one of the their most
valued virtues and a living part of their culture. Obviously, they know tha=
t
this subjective feature is not exclusive of theirs.
However, some critics disagree with the association of desenrascan=E7o to t=
he
Portuguese culture. They argue that this concept is related to subjective
evaluation of oneself, or of the Portuguese people, and belongs to the worl=
d
of subjectivity and feeling. Sometimes, the concept is related by some to
the discoveries period or to student activities in the 15th century. But
sceptics doubt there is any substantial proof of that relation.
Some people theorize that in the 16th and 17th centuries, because it was
very common for other exploring nations, such as the Dutch, to bring a
Portuguese national along during the voyages, because the Portuguese were
the most skilled due to previous knowledge and, allegedly, for handling wel=
l
the occasional emergencies in the ship when the control of the vessel was
given to them (what is known among the Portuguese as "desenrascan=E7o").
Serious historians would disagree with the association between a 20th
century idea and 17th century events. A part from this myth, desenrascan=
=E7o,
in fact, is the opposite of planning: it's managing for the problem not
becoming completely out of control and without solution.
Best regards
Nuno Rodrigues
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