Originally from Teresina, Brazil, I hold a BA in International Relations from the University of Brasilia (UnB) and an MSc in International Relations Theory (distinction) from LSE. Before commencing my PhD at LSE, I taught Contemporary IR theories at the University of Brasilia (UnB). I currently work as an Editor at Millennium: Journal of International Studies Vol. 50 and teach International Security (IR205) at LSE.
Research topic
My research engages in conversation with poststructural theory, new materialisms/posthumanism, race studies, and decolonial literature so as to make sense of and critique some of the European reactions to what is often named ‘the European migrant crisis’.
On a theoretical level, my research interrogates what I call the continuous presence of Cartesian Dualism in IR, that is, how critical literature within the discipline still leaves intact some Cartesian binaries, such as human/nonhuman, matter/language, body/mind, etc. On the one hand, my work plans to demonstrate how this situation persists notwithstanding the critiques of anthropocentrism carried out by Poststructural and New Materialist/Posthumanist literature in IR. On the other hand, I seek to show how the creation and maintenance of Cartesian binaries relies on colonial and racial/racist practices of mastery.
On an empirical level, my research analyses the European migrant crisis, focussing on two interrelated phenomena. On the one hand, it addresses the attempt on the part of the EU as an institution and some of its members to ‘materialise’ their borders through the constructions of walls, critical infrastructure, the securitisation of terrestrial and maritime borders, the perpetration of violence against migrants, amongst others. On the other hand, I analyse humanitarian practices that have been taking place in (or sometimes outside) European soils and seas. Borrowing from authors such as Sylvia Wynter, Alexander G. Weheliye, and Zakiyyah Iman Jackson, my understanding here is that this humanitarian encounter with migrants is not only premised on the legacies of colonisation and imperialism, but also an active vector of racialisation.
Teaching experience
- IREL – 185329 Contemporary International Relations Theories (University of Brasilia/UnB)
- IR205 - International Security (LSE)
Academic supervisors
Katharine Millar
Mark Hoffman