This third volume of the Portugal in the European Context collection produced by CIES, ISCTE-IUL addresses the recomposition of Portuguese society on the basis of analysis of a variety of subjects. Although the issue of social inequality is not the central theme of analysis in most of the articles in this book, it is often used as a basis for reflection or as a framework of the different subjects.
?Poverty and social exclusion? by Luís Capucha is the article that addresses the issue most directly. In it, the author looks at some of the most important inequality indicators, such as unequal income, and not only illustrates Portugal?s position in the European context but also points out the social groups and geographical areas in which this type of asymmetry is greatest. The statistics are accompanied by a look at the impact of some policies in Portugal and a list of some ?subjective factors? (p. 180) that contribute to the reproduction of social inequality in the country, for example the inability of more vulnerable groups to enforce their rights and interests by means of collective action or the lack of understanding of these groups? specific needs. At the end, he lists some reasons behind the intolerability of social exclusion and regards social exclusion as a rejection of the spirit of the social contract.
The articles ?Where is African immigration in Portugal going? Sedentarisation, generations and trajectories? by Fernando Luís Machado et al and ?Immigration and education: trajectories, daily life and aspirations? by Teresa Seabra and Sandra Mateus take a close look at the immigrant population?s school results.
In the former article, school qualifications are regarded within the broader issue of the social mobility of immigrants (more specifically those from Cape Verde) and it describes not only immigrants? school pathways but also their careers and the place occupied in the employment market by two generations of immigrants. It is on the basis of these two aspects (and also relative levels of poverty of Cape Verdeans) that the authors analyse the degree of integration of this population in Portuguese and conclude that it is ?limited? (p.202).
The second focuses mainly on an analysis of different degrees of school achievement and aspirations of the immigrant population in Portugal on the basis of their ethnic group. It shows that, among the national groups analysed, the children of Brazilian immigrants are those who have the worst school results, as opposed to students of Angolan origin and from Eastern Europe, India and Pakistan, although this variation is considerably influenced by social class.
Social class of origin is a decisive factor for understanding the intensity of drug addiction. In ?Drug addicts: socio-psychological trajectories and problematic ties?, Anália Torres et al stress the fact that people from more favourable social milieus and with better jobs and more schooling manage to reconcile drug use with work for longer and they also show a greater ability to give up the habit.
In ?Transitions in youth: trajectories and discontinuities?, Maria das Dores Guerreiro et al address the issue of the transition from youth to adulthood. This analysis intersects with the issue of social inequality by looking at the ways in which entry into adulthood varies on the basis of the young person?s or couple?s structural profile, such as their qualifications and type of employment. Those with less schooling tend to obtain more unsteady jobs and have higher levels of unemployment. Job instability and insecurity seem more and more to condition parenthood.
In ?Life patterns in contemporary society?, Susana da Cruz Martins et al describe life patterns in Portuguese society and show that there are differences (inequalities) in consumption, practices and assets owned in accordance with schooling, occupation and region.
Frederico Cantante
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