The main objective of this RG is to study social, economic, political and institutional changes in the contemporary world from a historical perspective. The research outcomes of the members of this RG emphasise the Portuguese case and the close relationship between Portugal and the countries with strong historical connections, taking into account their belonging to a global world.

The relevance of the processes of construction, reconstruction and appropriation of historical memory has been increasingly assumed in the research agenda of this RG. Such incursion reinforces the central place of the historical object that structures the RG's identity, unfolding the multiple approaches put forward by its members, namely within the scope of political, social, economic, institutional, intellectual and cultural history. The lines of investigation followed by the members of the RG are unified by a common interest: the production of studies on historical objects covering themes that are relevant to the ICS research agenda on social changes in the contemporary world.

The use of research methods and research heuristics that are typical of the historian's profession, but also used by other social scientists, takes into account the multiple dimensions of analysis that are indispensable for the study of contemporary societies, with a view to identifying the origins of problems and societal challenges, as well as the construction and transmission of memories of the past that reverberate in the present time. In this way, the RG gives continuity to the ICS legacy as a research unit that, since its foundation, has always sought to cross historical studies with the contributions of the various social sciences and cultural studies.

The continuities and changes that occur in the contemporary world benefit from a historical contextualization in the longue durée dynamics. By doing research on documentary and oral sources, and equipped with research tools that allow the construction of historical data series, the researchers belonging to this RG promote a constructive and multidisciplinary dialogue that demonstrates the importance of Memory and History for a better knowledge of Society.