Lusophone Studies and Comparative Literatures
Research focuses on the literatures and cultures of Portuguese-speaking countries, with particular attention to Brazil, Portugal, and African literatures in Portuguese. Specific interest is devoted to cultural and literary relations in the South Atlantic, the circulation of models, ideas, and imaginaries, and the historical dynamics of Lusophony.
Postcolonial and Decolonial Studies and Colonial Memory
A central research strand addresses Portuguese colonialism and its contemporary legacies through postcolonial and decolonial studies and Critical Theory. Particular attention is given to identity formation, colonial memory, power relations, and contemporary processes of racialization and inequality.
Race, Gender, Migration, and Social Critique
Research examines the intersections of race, gender, class, and migration, with attention to processes of exclusion and inclusion, representations of migration, and forms of symbolic and political violence. These themes are also explored in relation to decolonial feminism, human rights, and the critique of contemporary social structures.
Sociolinguistics, Quilombola Communities, and Linguistic Diversity
Another research area concerns sociolinguistics and linguistic variation, with particular attention to Brazilian quilombola communities. Research has investigated the relationships between language, identity, memory, race, violence, and social sustainability, including through the analysis of lexical and discursive practices.
Pluricentric Portuguese and the Teaching of Portuguese as a Foreign Language
Research and teaching address Portuguese as a pluricentric language, its varieties, and processes of linguistic legitimacy. Particular attention is devoted to Portuguese as a foreign/additional language, language teaching design, language assessment, and the CELPE-Bras and CAPLE certification systems.
Literature, Language, and Critical Theory
Research analyzes literary texts and discursive practices through perspectives drawn from Critical Theory, semiotics, and cultural criticism. Topics include the relationship between literature and power, representations of violence, forms of cultural resistance, the relationship between art and coloniality, and contemporary transformations of the public sphere.
