Architect and researcher Inês Vieira Rodrigues defended her doctoral thesis entitled “Archipelago of Territories: The Azores as the Emergence of Geopolitical Technostructures” at the University of Porto. The work proposes a critical reading of the territory, seen not as a mere backdrop for human action, but as a political, social, and cultural construction in constant transformation, from an architectural perspective. In the Azores, this approach is particularly relevant due to the geopolitical centrality and the role of technologies and infrastructures in the configuration of the archipelago. Part of this reflection, which earned her the “Fernando Távora Award” in 2022, also addresses energy production and distribution on the islands.

Correio dos Açores – What motivated you to choose the Azores as the central object of your research?

Inês Vieira Rodrigues (architect and researcher) – I lived in the Azores, specifically on São Miguel, for a considerable period, including important years of compulsory schooling. The experience of living in the archipelago, along with the relationships I have established since then, is inextricably linked to the research I have been developing. My master’s thesis, “Rabo de Peixe: Sociedade e Forma Urbana” (Fish Tail: Society and Urban Form), published by Editora Caleidoscópio, chose the village and parish as a case study. Therefore, I have been framing the Azores in my academic career. I believe that, from the perspective of architecture and urbanism, there is still much to study in relation to the archipelago.

How has your career contributed to shaping the approach developed throughout this doctorate?

I graduated from the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Porto, with a stint at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. These are fundamental institutions for understanding that architecture transcends the threshold of the door. In other words, architecture is not limited to buildings, to isolated objects. Political, urban, economic, territorial, and cultural contexts are relevant to a more comprehensive understanding of the field of architecture. In this sense, interdisciplinarity is crucial. Moreover, the relevance of the urban, territorial, and political dimensions was one of the legacies of architect Nuno Portas, a great reference at the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Porto, who passed away about a month ago.

The title of your thesis includes the expression “emergence of geopolitical technostructures.” Can you explain what that means?

In the context of this thesis, the term “technostructures” refers to the intersection of the effects of technology and technique with the territory. Essentially, the expression “emergence of geopolitical technostructures” refers to the outcrops of these effects, that is, what I identified as an indicator of this techno-territorial convergence.

What is the role of technologies and infrastructures in shaping the Azorean territory?

The territory only exists in its current form precisely because of technologies and infrastructures. Communication and military bases, the examples you mention, are the result of political instrumentalization. Since the 19th century, telecommunications systems have become global symbols and structures. The Azores are part of the articulation of these systems and are therefore framed within this international dimension. The military sector is also revealing as a manifestation of territorial relations, that is, as an indication that its formation is not limited to the islands or the archipelago. Among other examples of this comprehensive territorial relationship, I highlight agribusiness and its implications for the Azorean islands, since the markets extend beyond the island dimension. Therefore, the configuration of the Azorean territory stems from the confluence of different systems. In short, the Azorean territory is technologically produced.

How do you see external influence in the territorial production of the Azores?

Following on from your previous question, the territorialization of technological devices clearly illustrates that the urban is not a place. Instead, the metropolitan is a process. In other words, the urban is the condition of geographical and material interdependence. However, the technological systems involved in urban production often remain hidden. They are usually only noticed when there are failures in this system of interdependence, when there are obstacles to its normal functioning. The territorial production of the Azores is also seen in these moments of crisis or failure. Political tensions are particularly revealing, as exemplified by the discussion surrounding the Extension of the Continental Shelf, the vicissitudes surrounding the construction of the spaceport in Santa Maria, and the reduction of the US contingent at Lajes Base.

Throughout this research, was there a moment that surprised you?

To a certain extent, the islands are laboratories. On an island scale, phenomena are measured that are not necessarily transposable to the archipelago as a whole. One such phenomenon is the production and distribution of electricity, which is addressed in one of the chapters of the thesis and which overlapped with the research carried out as part of the Fernando Távora Prize, which I was awarded at the end of 2022. I learned a lot from the opportunity to visit the production centers on the nine islands, which essentially function as independent energy ecosystems.

What contribution do you hope your research will make to the debate on island territories and geopolitics?

One of the objectives of the thesis is to counter the notion that territory is merely a “backdrop” against which human activities, including architecture, unfold. In other words, it suggests a critical perspective on the concept of territory. Territory, society, and culture are mutually constructed. For this reason, territory goes far beyond the “area” it occupies. It is intrinsically political, so its formation is far from neutral and abstract. Territorializing political discussion, in the case of the Azores, involves considering dimensions that go beyond the landscape. The landscape is only the visible dimension of the territory. In addition, the Azorean territory is understood as strategic and is at the center of current geopolitical disputes. That said, I believe that, with the territory as the center, political discussion could focus on the fabrication of futures.

José Henrique Andrade is a journalist for Correio dos Açores, directed by Natalino Viveiros.

Translated into English as a community outreach program by the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL), in collaboration with Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno. PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.