Hypothesis Historia Periodical is a double-blind peer-review international journal in the field of Alternative and Alternate History (AH), cross-referencing the theme with all areas of knowledge and expertise, from Fine Arts to Natural Sciences, from Literature to Economy. It is published in English as part of the Casa Comum of the Rectorate of the University of Porto, Portugal, and has an ISSN number. Founded by the members of Invicta Imaginaria, the informal creative collective for the Winepunk Universe and CETAPS – Centre for English, translation and Anglo-Portuguese Studies, in a partnership among Casa Comum, Invicta Imaginaria and several research centers, the journal aims at providing a space for the publication of original, significant and innovative studies in Alternate and Alternative History, with special focus on those intersecting other fields, such as Experimental Sciences, Fine Arts, or Economy. Hypothesis Historia Periodical is a pluralist publication with no ideological affiliation and open to proposals and perspectives from all research methodologies.
Casa Comum, University of Porto/ Invicta Imaginaria
This is an open-access journal under the CC-BY license
In a time and age where academic and scientific publishers opted again and again to publish only positive results, what would be an History of Science and Technology if there had been a different approach towards the publication of negative results?
Copyright (c) 2025 Hypothesis Historia Periodical https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Daring Alternatives for Portuguese History
Alternative History, as a subgenre of speculative fiction, offers a distinctive lens to interrogate historical causality. Drawing on a non-exhaustive survey of Portuguese works published primarily in the twenty-first century; thematic focus and narrative outcomes are discussed. Portuguese Alternative History tends to privilege divergences located close to the authors’ present and to foreground limited regime change scenarios, often less liberal or more conservative social orders. While such narratives sometimes function as cautionary tales or expressions of historical nostalgia, their proximity to the writer/reader’s timeline appears to limit more radical speculation about alternative forms of governance and social organization, constraining the genre’s emancipatory potential to challenge entrenched assumptions about historical inevitability.
If the Galician heroine María Pita had not taken up arms in 1589 and acted like a true heroine in A Coruña (Spain), would she have colonized England, Spain and Portugal? England could have taken the Azores and captured the Indies fleet, Spain could have become a Protestant country, and other alternative histories could have developed. This paper attempts to highlight a historical event and examine hypotheses about the role of women during that period and subsequently, through the perspective of contemporary figures such as Elizabeth I of England, through a brief documentary review.
Articles (including Reviews) Special Section
Exploring How Alternative History can merge different perspectives regarding Ethical Responsibility
This paper examines two distant, yet complementary research approaches presented at the 4th international Conference of 'What if?...' World History 24/25, held at University of Vigo, dedicated to the theme of Ethical Responsibility. These presented works explore how alternative historical scenarios can contribute to contemporary ethical debate., with one focusing the hypothetical consequences of the complete success of the artistic avant-garde movements and their lasting social and moral impact, while the other investigates both counterfactual and historical evidence of gender inequality, with particular attention to Olympe de Gouges and the struggle for women’s rights. Together, these perspectives highlight the connection between imaginative historical thinking and ethical reflection, suggesting ways in which history may inform the development of more responsible and equitable social frameworks
At the What if...? World History conference in Vigo, Spain, on March 26, 2025, two most relevant presentations at roundtable number two shared analysis that seem totally different but might be linked. While the first one considered the hypothesis that solar storms contributed to the 2013 social disorder in Brazil, the second examined the influence on public administration of the preponderance of women in strategic positions in the Brazilian Executive Branch. As a result, both studies considered the idea that invisible forces could influence both humans as individuals and collective groups, concluding the existence of a cause-effect relationship between solar and social energies. This paper reflects, based on these presentations, how complex systems as astrophysics, neuroscience, sociology, and gender studies, are sensitive to energetic and relational differences.
Across continents and cultures, political movements seem to pulse in mysterious synchrony. The Arab Spring rippled through nations with vastly different histories. Latin America's "pink tide" swept leftward almost simultaneously across countries separated by mountains and oceans. European democracies swing between social democratic and conservative governments in patterns that transcend national boundaries. These coordinated shifts have puzzled political scientists for generations, typically explained through economic contagion, policy diffusion, or shared media influences. But what if we're missing the forest for the trees? What if these political oscillations respond to forces beyond our terrestrial explanations—forces emanating from the very star that powers our planet?
How can the Dada movement be a source of inspiration for the construction of alternative histories, and for the Winepunk project in particular? This article, by sketching a seemingly improbable parallel between Dadaism and the Northern Monarchy, attempts to draw lessons from this major but sometimes forgotten artistic avant-garde of the 20th century, for the creation of alternate histories in a contemporary approach of creation-research. To do this, we will begin by reviewing the history of Dadaism, highlighting the links it can forge with the Northern Monarchy: a coincidence in terms of dates, a multinational commonality, and a moment eclipsed from memories in both cases. In a second step, we will explore more generally the potential contributions of Dadaism to the construction of alternative histories, from both a heuristic and artistic point of view: the fanzine aesthetic and the creative tools it offers, the enigmas it leaves open for the invention of uchronies, as well as the inspiring functioning it offers to contemporary writing communities.
Dadaism; Winepunk; Alternative history; Punk movement; Art
Fanzines, Poetry, Dadaism, Punk Movement, Alternative Editions, Underground Literature
ABSTRACT: This study analyzes the tutela mulierum in Roman law as a mechanism of legal subordination of women under the guise of protection. Using a methodology based on the analysis of legal, literary, and historical sources, and framed within a gender and counterfactual historical perspective, the work examines the impact of this institution on the legal exclusion of women. The hypothesis of a Rome without tutela is proposed, exploring how such an absence could have transformed women’s roles in economics, politics, and culture, and altered the legacy of Western legal tradition. Results show that tutela mulierum consolidated a patriarchal order, limiting female citizenship even in its most advanced forms. This study opens new research lines on the persistence of patriarchal structures in modern legal systems and advocates for a gender-based critical reassessment of law to envision more equitable legal models.
When we confront the absolute, i.e., the factual History, with a divergent possibility, we necessarily uncover what has been missing all along and likely did not let us go any further. Because if "those that do not know History are doomed to repeat it, then those that do not discuss Alternative History are cursed to miss the early exit signs that precede the fall".
Copyright (c) 2024 Hypothesis Historia Periodical https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
From Monsters to Astroculture. Reflections from the Plenary Session’s chair (Part II)
This article takes a brief theoretical and reflective look at Rogério Ribeiro plenary session at the What If'23 Conference. The theme of the speaker's session about the potential of speculative biology and from that we began to explore the implications of it in the artistic field. Thus, this article assumes itself as a theoretical-reflective incursion, built from the artistic works of Patricia Piccinini and Suzanne Anker, through which we intend to develop themes such as the Anthropocene, the grotesque and posthumanism
Invited Lecturers f2f Chair Perspectives
speculative biology, monsters, Anthropocene, grotesque, dystopia
A Burning Question: Reimagining Portugal's Journey Towards Cremation
Portugal only legalized cremation in 1911, but this funerary practice had long been a topic of discussion. As far back as the mid-19th century, Portuguese intellectuals had been contemplating cremation as a clean, efficient, and dignified alternative to both public cemeteries and church burial—the latter of which had been the dominant practice for centuries. In the struggle between the age-old practice of burial and the emerging practice of cremation, the former emerged victorious. But what if cremation had become the dominant funerary practice as early as the 19th century? By examining the evolution of burial and cremation through a cultural and religious lens, this paper investigates how a shift from burial to cremation could have influenced different elements of Portuguese society, from the specific dynamics of cemetery usage and mourning practices to the broader effects on the environment and the economy.
The Gina Grant Case: Exploring the Intersection of Homicide, Justice, and Cosmic Influence
We discuss the case of Gina Grant, a 14-year-old who killed her abusive, alcoholic mother in 1990. The case raised questions about juvenile justice, redemption, and factors contributing to violent behavior. After serving time in juvenile detention, Gina excelled academically but faced controversy when top universities rescinded her early admissions upon learning of her past. The article explores traditional criminological approaches and introduces a newer hypothesis suggesting a potential link between solar activity and homicide rates. It presents a scenario where had Gina's family lived two decades later, during a period of lower solar activity, the mother's abuse and her murder might not have happened. The case highlights ongoing debates about redemption, second chances for juvenile offenders, and the balance between accountability. It concludes by stressing the importance of exploring new avenues of understanding broader environmental issues, including space weather, while addressing immediate factors contributing to violence in society.
The other side of funerals and cemeteries. Reflections from the Plenary Session’s chair (Part I)
This article takes a brief theoretical and reflective look at Rafaela Ferraz's plenary session at the XXX Conference. The theme of the speaker's session was the counterfactual history of the tradition of funerals and burials in Portugal, the main aim of which was to imagine an alternative scenario in which cremation had been institutionalised as a practice earlier in the country. We started from this motto and questioned cemeteries as cultural landscapes, taking up the counter-narrative discourse in relation to cremation, but we also expanded our approach by looking at funeral cards, analysing them - albeit briefly - as memorabilia.
sociology, memorabilia, cultural landscapes, counterfactual history
This paper aims to demonstrate how art-based research can propose alternative readings in History through the study of the technological past of printmaking. Our focus scope will be lithography, the art of printing from stone, as we’ll be highlighting how the technique developed parallel with power structures from the 19th-century, serving Europe’s interests in colonisation by increasing the number of printed maps. In a very practical sense, map-printing depended on many participants: those who drew, those who prepared the printing matrixes and those who printed. What if we gave a voice to the people who were producing such maps? What would these say of the conditions of their labour? What would their stories be, and what would be their opinions on the application of maps to warfare? Our reflection is based upon concrete case studies of historical cartography produced in 19th-century Portugal, which are stored in the archives of the University of Porto.
This text tried to reflect upon the single presentation of Round Table #3 at the ‘What If’23 International Conference of ‘What If?...’. The theme was “A Visionary Unveiled: The Unforeseen Journey of José Rizal” by Maria Minerva P. Calimag, revolving around the well-known medic, writer, and polymath from late colonial Spanish rule in the Philippines. By hypothesising a Rizal awakened in another dimension or parallel universe, Calimag imagines him linked to medical achievements such as establishing institutions (hospitals, medicine schools) and policies (universal health care, preventive and promotive health).
“History does not always prepare us for the future, stories do”.
The central objective of this article is to analyze the material presented by Cynthia Maria Montaudon and Alfredo Behrens at the 3rd International Meeting of ‘What if?’ World History by University of Porto, Portugal (2023). Based on Alternative History studies, oral presentations and discussions, session number 1 featured the following research: “Using Alternate History to teach business Consulting” and “Who killed Gina’s mother?”. The material presented will be analyzed, followed by their respective results so that, at a later stage, their contributions can be developed.
What if Einstein had not sent the letter to Roosevelt?
The 20th century was unique in known human history for a number of reasons. It holds a brutal human suffering with two planetary wars with unparalleled levels of destruction and genocides of a dramatic scale. It was the century of the explosion of science and its expression in technologies inconceivable in previous times, moving Humanity to new frontiers, well illustrated by the walk of human beings on the Moon. It was the time of the emergence of disruptive social and cultural movements, the time when we found the finitude of the planet that shelters it. Just as was the time of Humanity to acquire the ability of self-destruction through the atomic bomb release of the energy stored in the depths of the atom. The process that led to this includes a crucial element, a letter signed by Albert Einstein to US President Franklin Roosevelt. This essay elaborates on the circumstances that led to the writing of such letter and on what might have happened had it not existed.
Copyright (c) 2023 Hypothesis Historia Periodical https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Alternate history for risk assessment in project management
Interest in alternate history has become more prevalent, which has led to the study of its potential uses in different settings, business and management being one of them. This article presents an overview of the points of convergence between alternate history and risk identification and assessment in the context of project management. A proposal for the integration of counterfactual thinking into the early stages of risk management is introduced in the form of an adaptation of the use of traditional risk matrices. Future perspectives and limitations are also included, as the proposal is meant to complement and not substitute other risk management practices, tools, and techniques.
Alternate history as a tool to reduce bias in organizations
This article describes the potential use of alternate histories in business to promote diversity and equality in organizations. Gender bias and the different barriers that women experience in the workplace are included, as well as the way in which alternate histories can be created as an answer to the following questions: What if women led the world? And what if women occupied all leading positions in the company and had decision-making power? Alternate histories can be used to promote diversity and inclusion policies based on other minorities or marginalized groups beyond women to create plausible scenarios for more humane and integrative workplaces.
This paper aims to explore the idea that our societies are losing more and more fundamental rights, the most important policies are beginning to avoid going through national parliaments, and almost a complete profiling of all aspects of a citizen’s life has been achieved to manipulate and absolute control of them in the near future. Large technology companies with budgets greater than many states are beginning to make decisions or lobby with strong groups to obtain regulations appropriate to their interests, and the world is in a change of order in which the domination of China is already a reality in the technological field, and is very close to the US in the economic field. This article explores, through the use of alternative history as a research tool, the fatalities that certain events such as those indicated are currently occurring, in a regressive decline of the social and democratic State of law and of peace itself.
If Hitler is one of the most infamous and important political characters of the modern Western World, how are alternate history works reflecting his legacy and personality? In this short paper I try to reflect on some of the most emblematic literary and ludic works created around his life and personality.
The following proposal aims at understanding the scope and outcome of politically engaged art practices when basic political freedom and artistic autonomy are not at stake; when artistic creativeness and actions happen without state censorship or cultural top-down enforcement but the economic framework, capitalism, upholds and controls social mobility, work relations, and commodity exchange. We’ll explore the “what if” puzzle to think about these matters and to problematize a History beyond the “official ‘’ History. Methodologically speaking, we will focus oni artistc situations developed during the Brazilian Military Dictatorship (1964-1985), specifically the situational actions of artists such as Cildo Meireles (1948), Anna Maria Maiolino (1942), and Artur Barrio (1945). Let’s ask in a broader context if they would have taken place and if they would have been as resilient, and effective in exposing state violence if that violence had taken place in a context of liberal democracy. These are hypotheses that challenge the way we think and problematize decisive moments of Brazilian political and art history and make us ask “what if” things were easy-going for artists committed to advanced creative practices (with successful and profitable art exhibitions and a promising international career) but weren’t for the most of the population?
“Diamond wins: life turned trade secret”
As of September 2022, the White House officially embraced biotechnology to generate innovative solutions for health problems, climate change, energy scarcity, and food insecurity. Genetically modified organisms (GMO) alone account for more than 160 000 biotechnological solutions for technical problems. All these solutions have been disclosed to the public as a requirement for obtaining patent rights, excluding third parties of commercial exploitation. In this paper, we resort to alternative outcomes of the landmark Diamond v. Chakrabarty case on the patentability of GMO to illustrate the societal value of patents in biotechnology. The point of divergence set by the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in favor of Diamond creates a parallel reality where trade secrets prevail in biotechnology, representing an opportunity to reflect on the instructiveness of patents.
Carmen Miranda is still one of Brazil’s greatest musical and aesthetic icons. The artist stood out for her non-conformist attitude and aesthetic towards the prevailing aesthetic at the time of her artistic peak. In this article, we intend to focus on two key topics, namely the use of Do-It-Yourself (DIY) in her artistic creations, but we also intend to apply to her trajectory the counterfactual/alternative history, i.e., we intend to undertake a “what if…” analysis in relation to a set of historical events that marked her trajectory, emphasizing, thus, the creation and dissemination of her platform shoes, while we intend to highlight her contribution to the international footwear fashion.
From in illo tempore to 1984 and beyond.
This text tried to reflect upon the three presentations of Round Table #1 at the ‘What If’22 International Conference of ‘What If?...’ The theme was “World History”. The presentations range from the ethnography and mythology of the Nagas, around Buddhism and Brahmanism, to the book Nineteen-Eighty-Four (1948), by George Orwell. It also discussed Brazilian artists who opposed the Military Dictatorship (1964-1985). Bound by the premise of counterfactuality, i.e., the “what if”, the presentations gave rise to a long debate about current times and how art and literature continue to be decisive. In a word, to what extent do art and literature give us warnings or even predict the future? Or, on the other hand, how they influence events, and feed our imagination.