Research areas
1. ARTISTIC, IMAGETIC, AND INTELLECTUAL PRODUCTIONS
This research line brings together scholars whose primary focus is the study of intellectual and artistic productions. The projects are organised around three main axes: a) The production, circulation, and reception of images, art, and cultural practices across various fields. These studies focus on forms of cultural expression and social relations in specific contexts, emphasising disputes and conflicts, as well as their heuristic potential within the field of social sciences; b) The analysis of intellectuals and education, with a particular emphasis on studies of scientists’ trajectories and the formulation of public policies in the domains of culture, education, and science and technology. These projects extend reflections to the interface of the social sciences with literature, politics, biographies, and education; c) Bibliographical research into the strands of social theory and Brazilian social thought, focusing specifically on the conceptual architecture articulated in texts of various types, including sociological, anthropological, political, philosophical, and literary works.
Associated professors: Aline Gama, Clarice Peixoto, Helena Bomeny, João Trajano Sento-Sé, Marcos Albuquerque, Maria Claudia Coelho, Maria Raquel Passos Lima, Paulo D’Avila, Paulo Henrique Paschoeto Cassimiro, Ronaldo Oliveira de Castro, Valter Sinder and Vinicius Kauê Ferreira.
2. CITY, ENVIRONMENT, SOCIAL MOVEMENTS, AND RELIGION
This research line brings together projects and scholars interested in urban social problems and the ways in which city inhabitants navigate and respond to these issues, with ethnographic research serving as the central methodological approach. The projects are organised around three main axes: a) The political and moral management of territories and populations, focusing on understanding how state practices operate through institutions, public administration agents, and governance mechanisms. This includes the study of socio-environmental issues arising from the implementation of large-scale development projects; b) Religious associations and practices in their various interactions with state and non-governmental agencies, as well as their roles in the daily life of the city and in public spaces. These studies explore social action networks, the expressive dimensions of religion, and processes of religious transnationalisation, with particular attention to Afro-diasporic religions; c) Resistance, resilience, and persistence led by actors in situations of social asymmetry, whether organised through various forms of association or acting independently.
Associated professors: Cecília Mariz, Joana D’Arc do Valle Bahia, Lia de Mattos Rocha, Marcia Leite, Maria Raquel Passos Lima, Paula Mendes Lacerda, Patrícia Birman and Sandra Maria Corrêa de Sá Carneiro.
3. FAMILY, GENDER, EMOTIONS, AND GENERATIONS
This research line brings together scholars who examine, from both ethnographic and quantitative methodological perspectives, two thematic axes traditionally associated with the private dimensions of individual life: a) The relationship between culture, subjectivity, and emotions, investigating the limits and possibilities of framing emotions as an object of study within the Social Sciences. The projects explore the emotional dimensions of phenomena in two distinct domains: those related to private life, such as experiences of health and illness, the body, and family relationships; and those situated in the public sphere, such as engagement in social movements and experiences of victimisation; b) Family transformations and behaviours, along with their intergenerational repercussions, as well as studies on sexuality and social gender relations. Family, generation, gender, and sexuality are addressed both as foundations of social identities and as axes underpinning contemporary forms of inequality.
Associated professors: Clara Araújo, Claudia Barcellos Rezende, Leonardo Silveira, Maira Covre-Sussai, Maria Claudia Coelho, Paula Lacerda, Vinicius Kauê Ferreira and Waleska Aureliano.
4. CITIZENSHIP, STATE, AND PUBLIC POLICIES
This research line is guided by an interest in citizenship, political institutions, and key debates in political theory, such as political representation and public opinion, examined from various theoretical perspectives. The projects within this line are organised around two main themes:
a) Violence, inequality, and the analysis of public security policies, with a focus on the factors that contribute to different forms of violence and the socially differentiated access to rights. There is particular interest in analysing national and international policies aimed at reducing violence in its various forms, improving public security, and expanding access to rights.
b) The media, public opinion, and political representation. Research in this area focuses on media studies and the spheres where public opinion is shaped, investigating the formation of interest and identity groups in the construction of political representation agendas. Special attention is given to state and municipal legislatures, as well as the mobilisation of different minority groups, such as women, black populations, and residents of peripheral areas.
Associated professors: Clara Araújo, Doriam Borges, Eduardo Ribeiro, Fernando Lattman-Weltman, Ignácio Cano, João Trajano Sento-Sé, Maira Covre-Sussai, Paulo D´Avila and Roberta Soromenho Nicolete.