ABSTRACT
The introduction specifies the object and the aims of the study within the broader context of the Portuguese right-wing milieu in contemporary Portugal as well as the relevance of the case study taking into account the state of the art of the national and international scientific literature. The chapter also presents the chronological periodization of the history of the Portuguese far right between late authoritarianism and democracy. The seven decades encompassed by the study are divided in three periods of time – late authoritarianism, transition to democracy, and consolidated democracy – each of which is subdivided into three sub-periods. The introduction explains why it is possible to organize the political history of the Portuguese far right in this way and highlights the features of the subject analyzed in each sub-period and those of the socio-political background that justify this choice. Moreover, the introduction addresses the conceptual question particularly sensitive in the studies on the extreme right and presents the qualitative methods applied for the gathering the data in each historical period.
