Mecila

#45

Convivialidades y desigualdades en tiempos de policrisis: el Foro Mecila en CLACSO 2025

Tomaz Amorim (Mecila)

Un espacio de diálogo interdisciplinario frente a la policrisis global, el Foro organisado por Mecila destacó prácticas heterodoxas de convivencia y desigualdad como formas de resistencia académica

En el marco de la X Conferencia Latinoamericana y Caribeña de Ciencias Sociales (CLACSO), celebrada el 10 de junio de 2025 en Bogotá, Colombia, el Maria Sibylla Merian Centre Conviviality-Inequality in Latin America (Mecila) organizó el foro de un día completo titulado «Prácticas heterodoxas de convivialidades y desigualdades en América Latina«. A continuación, se presentan algunas notas críticas sobre las diversas ponencias y discusiones.

El Foro Mecila, acogido por segunda vez en CLACSO, reafirmó la importancia de los espacios interdisciplinarios para la excelencia de la investigación. Como dijo Sérgio Costa (Freie Universität Berlin/Mecila) en la apertura, en un contexto de policrisis y de desconfianza en la ciencia, el intercambio franco entre investigadores de diversos países y estudiantes de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia representó un gesto de resistencia al recrudecimiento de nuevos y viejos conservadurismos. El evento propuso, así, formas de convivencia negociada entre diferentes, una tarea fundamental en los actuales contextos geopolíticos de la ciencia.

Conferencia Inaugural: Gioconda Herrera

Gioconda Herrera: Justicia climática y justicia migratoria en el marco del giro autoritário. Reflexiones desde la región andina. Foto del autor.

La conferencia de Gioconda Herrera (FLACSO Ecuador/Mecila International Advisory Board) marcó el tono del Foro al conectar justicia climática y justicia migratoria. Herrera destacó el giro de los estudios de migración hacia el concepto de movilidades, en estrecha relación con las transformaciones climáticas. En ese sentido, introdujo la idea de «violencia lenta» para describir los impactos graduales y profundos del cambio climático sobre grupos vulnerables como indígenas, pequeños campesinos y pescadores.

Para pensar la convivialidad, la ponente propuso una «ecología de cuidado y coexistencia con las personas y la naturaleza», un enfoque que preserva la agencia de los sujetos y busca superar las dicotomías tradicionales entre migrantes económicos, políticos y climáticos. Según Herrera, es necesario superar el «sesgo sedentarista», al entender la inmovilidad como una opción y no como la norma. A través de estudios de caso, demostró cómo la destrucción de la convivialidad entre humanos y no-humanos genera una «sensación de orfandad frente a la pérdida del territorio». Esa orfandad no se refiere solo a la pérdida de un pariente, sino a una pérdida cósmica, que rompe los lazos de parentesco con el propio territorio. Finalmente, Herrera trazó una línea histórica entre el colonialismo — con su expropiación de tierras — y las prácticas de plantation contemporáneas, que alteran los ciclos del agua y aceleran los cambios climáticos que impulsan la migración.

Panel I: Enfrentar las profundas destrucciones urbanas: ecologías, políticas, violencias

La reflexión sobre un mundo en destrucción y reconstrucción simbólica, iniciada por Herrera, encontró ecos directos en este panel. Andrés Salcedo (Universidad Nacional de Colombia), en su ponencia «Paisajes sonoros. Propuesta metodológica en el borde sur de Bogotá», analizó cómo los sentidos participan de la vivencia rural y urbana («rurbana»), al mostrar de qué manera experimentos acústicos de paisajes sonoros pueden servir como herramienta para la reorganización política, especialmente para las mujeres. Bianca Tavolari (Fundação Getulio Vargas/Mecila), con «La ciudad como testimonio. Violencia estatal y reconfiguración urbana después de la masacre de Carandiru», presentó un histórico de la masacre, vinculándolo a la historia política y urbana de São Paulo, y destacó los procesos de borramiento y los ejercicios de reapropiación, como la «corporificación» del espacio de la masacre. Gesine Müller (Universität zu Köln/Mecila), en «Transformaciones literarias de una ‘convivialidad’ en violencia. El caso de G. Álvarez Gardeazábal», demostró a través de ejemplos de la literatura colombiana cómo la ficción llena los vacíos de la historiografía oficial, radiografiando diferentes momentos de violencia estatal y privada.

El debatedor, Tilmann Heil (Universität zu Köln/Mecila), sintetizó las ponencias al mapear tres tipos de destrucción: la extinción (el silencio del campo de cultivo en el «plantationoceno»), la necropolítica (conflictos armados) y el arruinamiento (el borramiento histórico de los crímenes). Sin embargo, resaltó también las posibilidades de resistencia y recreación de nuevas formas de vida, superando la ansiedad paralizante ante la catástrofe. El panel demostró, por lo tanto, que la reconstrucción de la convivialidad pasa necesariamente por una reconstrucción estética del mundo posdestrucción. El foco en las artes y los sentidos (sonido, espacio, literatura) reveló que el mundo no se organiza solo políticamente, sino también estéticamente.

Panel I: Enfrentar las profundas destrucciones urbanas: ecologías, políticas, violencias

— Gesine Müller (Universität zu Köln, Mecila): Transformaciones literarias de una “convivialidad” en violencia: el caso de G. Álvarez Gardeazábal
— Bianca Tavolari (Fundação Getulio Vargas, Mecila): La ciudad como testimonio: Violencia estatal y reconfiguración urbana después de la masacre de Carandiru
— Andrés Salcedo (Universidad Nacional de Colombia): Paisajes Sonoros: propuesta metodológica en el borde sur de Bogotá

Comentário: Tilmann Heil (Universität zu Köln, Mecila)

Moderación: Ramiro Segura (IdICHS, Conicet / Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Mecila)

Foto del autor.

Panel II: Exploraciones del vínculo convivialidad-desigualdad en un mundo en crisis

En el Panel II, se desplazó de lo estético y territorial al campo de la política institucional, con foco en el ascenso de la extrema derecha en perspectiva comparada. Mara Viveros Vigoya (Universidad Nacional de Colombia), en su ponencia «La identidad negada. Género, raza y clase en el populismo de derecha latinoamericano», comparó a Alvaro Uribe con Jair Bolsonaro, identificando en ambos un imaginario de masculinidad blanca que organiza la política a partir de órdenes sociales, raciales y sexuales. Ella movilizó el concepto de «masculinismo depredador»: un proyecto no solo simbólico, sino de expropiación material de cuerpos y territorios. Se trata de una «identidad silenciosa» que naturaliza la blanquitud y la masculinidad, excluyendo a quienes no encajan.

Sérgio Costa (Freie Universität Berlin/Mecila), con «Desigualdades, diferencias y polarización. Una mirada relacional», al comparar Brasil con Alemania, argumentó en contra de explicaciones monocausales para la emergencia de la ultraderecha. Para él, es necesario analizar las «situaciones interseccionales», planteando la pregunta: ¿en qué condiciones los discursos de derecha encuentran resonancia en los sujetos? Su análisis señaló que la derecha expandió su alcance al crear vocabularios que significan experiencias colectivas, mapeando problemas reales, aunque ofreciendo soluciones imaginarias. El debate posterior resaltó que la interseccionalidad es también una interdisciplinariedad y que, ante la apropiación por parte de la derecha de un repertorio históricamente de la izquierda, lo colectivo y lo relacional permanecen como límites a este proyecto y como potencias para socavarlo.

Panel III: Conflictos ambientales y medialidades de la convivialidad

Panel III: Conflictos ambientales y medialidades de la convivialidad

— Gloria Chicote (IdICHS, Conicet / Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Mecila): Conflictos ambientales y feminismos en la literatura de Samanta Schweblin
— Astrid Ulloa (Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Mecila): Políticas de vida y propuestas estéticas en las defensas territoriales-ambientales de mujeres indígenas

Comentario: Barbara Göbel (Ibero-Amerikanisches Institut, Mecila)

Moderación: Carlos Nupia (Ibero-Amerikanisches Institut, Mecila)

Foto del autor.

Proponiendo una síntesis entre los paneles anteriores, esta mesa final demostró cómo estética y política se vuelven inseparables. Gloria Chicote (IdICHS, Conicet-UNLP/Mecila), en «Conflictos ambientales y feminismos en la literatura de Samanta Schweblin», analizó la representación del antropoceno en la obra de Schweblin a partir de un «momento literario posautónomo». En ese contexto, la literatura abandona la autorreferencialidad para, a través del género fantástico, resimbolizar las policrisis a nivel local y personal.

Astrid Ulloa (Universidad Nacional de Colombia/Mecila), en «Políticas de vida y propuestas estéticas en las defensas territoriales-ambientales de mujeres indígenas», en una casi continuidad, desplazó el análisis de la ficción a la actuación de mujeres reales, que utilizan estrategias de vida y estéticas para lidiar con las transformaciones climáticas. Ellas emergen como defensoras de la vida y del territorio frente al extractivismo. El concepto de «cuerpo-territorio», proveniente de los feminismos comunitarios indígenas, es central aquí, proponiendo una ontología relacional donde cuerpo y territorio son inseparables. Artistas indígenas contemporáneas trabajan esta relación, volviendo lo estético en político y viceversa para confrontar la violencia y proponer otros lenguajes de autorrepresentación. La sanación —de sí y del territorio— emerge del cuidado y del autocuidado frente a las violencias coloniales. Ejemplos concretos de estas «otras estéticas» incluyen la agroecología y la creación de nuevas cartografías para superar el ecocidio y el terricidio.

Reflexión Final

La jornada brindó un inmenso aprendizaje. Cabe preguntarse si, para mantener la estética y la política indisociables, no sería posible pensar también el “masculinismo depredador” de Mara Viveros Vigoya como una práctica estético-política, que encuentra como alternativas los “cuerpos-territorios” y las otras posibilidades de reconstrucción discutidas.

#44

Sao Paulo's Circuits of Diversity: A visit to the TEN Photography Exhibition at Centro Cultural Tomie Ohtake (São Paulo)

Stephanie Dennison (Mecila Senior Fellow, 2025)

In this short video, Mecila Senior Fellow Stephanie Dennison explores an exhibition of photographs taken by José Medeiros of the Teatro Experimental do Negro (Black Experimental Theatre group), one of the most important theatre troupes to emerge in 20th-century Brazil. Founded in 1944 by actor, director, and activist Abdias Nascimento, the group played a key role in the country’s cultural history. Stephanie is particularly interested in viewing the exhibition in the context of the so-called circuitos da diversidade (circuits of diversity), a phrase coined by scholar Gilberto Sobrinho to denote the shift in the representation of Afro-descendant cultural expressions in cultural centres such as Tomie Ohtake and Itaú Cultural in the city of São Paulo over the last ten years.

#43

Uma visita ao Museu das Favelas: saberes, lutas e pertencimento

tita – Letizia Patriarca (Mecila Junior Fellow, 2025)

O Museu das Favelas, em toda sua diversa potência, nos fez atravessar lutas sociais diversas, expressões de festa, sonoridades e estéticas periféricas, que criam linguagens próprias, muito além do imaginário recorrente sobre as favelas.

Era um dia frio, mas a visita ao Museu das Favelas foi de aquecer os ânimos. Até saiu um pouco de sol para a foto da fachada. Contrastavam o azul do céu, a colonialidade do prédio e toda a força pulsante e incapturável do que se vivencia n(o museus d)as favelas.

Emanava certa imponência, que eu diria que não vinha do prédio histórico, com sua arquitetura colonial e muito bem reformado, ao lado do igualmente histórico e colonial espaço dos jesuítas no Pátio do Colégio, no centro da cidade de São Paulo. Para mim, era a fala de educadories, pesquisadories e a intensa circulação de dezenas de jovens, com animação, tirando selfies por todo museu, que dava todo o gás.

Vera e Mônica Cardim organizaram em família essa visita, que recebeu também a minha família, além de quem pesquisa no Mecila. A questão racial se impunha a partir de nossos corpos, entre pessoas negras, brancas, alemãs, italianas e brasileiras, que trabalham e pesquisam dentro e fora do museu.

Esse contínuo movimento de troca de saberes, dentro e fora, é um dos objetivos do museu e da Biblioteca CRIA. Começamos então nossa visita, com Claudia Onorato e Sidnei Rodrigues contando do acervo e de suas atividades, que incluem lançamentos de livros no primeiro sábado do mês.

Foto da autora.

A biblioteca também recebe doações de livros, com foco principal nas temáticas sobre favelas e periferias, dando destaque para escritores e escritoras periféricos independentes, e pesquisadores. Dentre as palavras ACOLHIMENTO e PERTENCIMENTO, raios de luz entravam e faziam brilhar autorias como Sueli Carneiro e Itamar Vieira Junior nas capas de livros do acervo.

Biblioteca CRIA (foto da autora) e Vera Cardim (foto de Jasmin Wrobel).

Seguimos para um momento de partilha, com a museóloga Danieli Leite, a pesquisadora Érika Augusta e a coordenadora Vera Cardim. Nossos interesses de pesquisa foram rapidamente trocados, para também conhecermos a “Pesquisa de Cria: Encontro de Saberes”. Esse projeto promove encontros presenciais com pessoas pesquisadoras acadêmicas e não acadêmicas e grupos e lideranças periféricas, para compartilhar saberes e experiências de atuação a partir de múltiplas fontes, linguagens e expressões. Dentre os encontros recentes, destacaram um com mulheres trancistas, em que foi possível unir, em práticas artísticas, pertencimento e desenvolvimento econômico através do cabelo a um encontro de promoção de saúde mental.

Desde a recente fundação do museu, foi ressaltada a importância de representar a pluralidade de corpos e vivências, também refletida na equipe. Atualmente o museu conta com cerca de 80% de pessoas pretas e pardas, sendo cerca de 40% mulheres negras. Quase metade da equipe se identifica como LGBTIAPN+.

A coordenadora Vera Cardim apresentou o histórico e todo o intenso e diverso trabalho que a equipe faz. Segundo ela, “as necessidades são diversas, questões atravessam”, de forma que não podia ser só um museu de arte. Por isso, inclui diversas atividades de troca de saberes e pesquisa.

Fundado em 2022, o Museu das Favelas se encontrava originalmente na região dos Campos Elíseos, mas teve que deixar o espaço por conta de políticas violentas de gentrificação, inclusive contra a Favela do Moinho. Essa mudança de território foi evidenciada porque se conecta diretamente com políticas e discussões que envolvem o museu. Também abriu espaço para a discussão sobre o que seriam favelas e sua infinita pluralidade, não se restringindo a territórios afastados do centro da cidade.

Apesar de recente, o Museu das Favelas é bastante visitado e tem grande visibilidade nas redes sociais – o que pudemos observar com o intenso movimento de jovens nos três andares, acessíveis por escadas e elevador. Além de exposições no espaço do museu, o Museu das Favelas também conta com exposições virtuais: atualmente estão em cartaz Favela-Raiz, O samba merece um palácio e Funkeiros cults 3D.

No último andar encontra-se a sonora e imersiva exposição temporária Racionais Mc’s: O quinto elemento, em cartaz até 31 de agosto. A diversidade de materiais, de discos e cartas a vídeos de bastidores, permite acompanhar a história do Brasil dos últimos 35 anos através do famosíssimo grupo de rap. Os integrantes Mano Brown, Edi Rock, KL Jay e Ice Blue são apresentados em detalhes, com toda força poética e crítica, através dos saberes que produziram em seus discos e atuações na vida.

 

Fotos da autora. À direita, abaixo, foto de Ernesto García.

 

Nos primeiros andares, o Museu das Favelas conta com sua primeira exposição de longa duração, Sobre vivências. Reunindo manifestações culturais de artistas periféricos e coletivos e objetos fruto de reflexão coletiva de diversas comunidades, a exposição está organizada em cinco módulos. Cada módulo busca refletir a multiplicidade dos territórios e das vivências das favelas, sem jamais definir o que seriam. Para refletir a diversidade das vivências nas/das favelas, cada módulo conta com verbos no infinitivo: SER, EXISTIR, MORAR, CELEBRAR e SONHAR.

O Museu das Favelas, em toda sua diversa potência, nos fez atravessar lutas sociais diversas, expressões de festa, sonoridades e estéticas periféricas, que criam língua(gens) próprias, muito além do imaginário recorrente.

Exposição Sobre vivências. Fotos da autora

Foto: Ernesto García

#42

Behind the Scenes of the Textile Industry, Korean Barbecue, and Public Health: Our Field Trip to Bom Retiro Neighbourhood, São Paulo

Camila Infanger Almeida (Mecila Doctoral Researcher / USP)

A walking tour led our fellows through the layered histories of migration, public health, and urban memory.

Our journey started at one of São Paulo’s most remarkable landmarks: Luz Station. It also set the tone for how the research team perceives the city—as a walkable space, interwoven with public transportation, which all participants were encouraged to use to reach the meeting point.

Our group was a mix of people born and bred in São Paulo, like myself, and others, in different levels, unfamiliar with the area. This created an intriguing initial atmosphere, as we wondered how the asymmetries in our experiences with the neighbourhood would play out during the guided tour. Spoiler alert: the research team managed to surprise us all with stops that traced Bom Retiro’s rich history of migration and public health.

Prof. Jeffrey Lesser opened the visit with a brief overview of the neighbourhood’s immigration trail, highlighting its African and Indigenous heritage, previous to the more recent waves of European, South American, and Asian migration. This introduction provided a helpful framework that remained in the background as we observed the diversity of people represented in the streets.

My designated guide was Alexandra Llovet, a medical student member of Jeff’s research team, who kindly led us through Parque da Luz, earning everyone’s attention by pointing out a monument illustrating early 1900s Brazil-Italy relations and by sharing curious facts, such as the existence of a former aquarium beneath the park.

The tour narrative included insights into the area’s architecture, such as adaptations to accommodate sweatshops, textile commerce, and storage facilities. We also learned about the walling off of certain streets—possibly linked to policies from a time when immigrants were viewed as potential disease carriers, thus subject to sanitation measures that were, in effect, closer to disinfection efforts.

One of my favourite moments was having a peek at a hidden gem: a small village street, likely still paved with original cobblestones. It was first populated by Italian chocolate makers, whose name still appears on the entrance sign, and is now home to immigrants working in the textile industry.

The various elements of Bom Retiro’s population started to come together around what struck me as a common denominator: the local public health centre (UBS). Throughout the tour, Alex and Briana Yang, another research team’s member, frequently referred to the work of health agents in the community, access to healthcare, and how the UBS influenced the logic of spaces like the park.

The moment we walked past the UBS, we also bridged the two ends of the research scope: migration and health. Next, we arrived at the Museum of Public Health, located in a beautiful historic building—one that few people strolling through Bom Retiro would expect to find there. Our warm and knowledgeable guide, Leo, began our visit with a short talk on Emílio Ribas and Vital Brazil, major figures in Brazilian epidemiology.

Standing around the vehicles once used to immunise newly arrived migrants in a Brazil fearful of contagious diseases, we cringed at stories about the toxic substances once sprayed into Bom Retiro’s air.

Upstairs, we learned about Brazil’s immunisation campaigns—the highlight being the personification of Zé Gotinha, the friendly mascot created to promote childhood vaccination—and explored unexpected intersections between spiders, snakes, and medicine, including a less-poisonous side to the infamous jararaca snake.

We then had a moment to chat and hear in more depth about the research team’s perspectives on their work and their personal connections to the area, its stories, and its peoples.

My first Mecila field trip ended with a joyful meal in a very typical spot, where we got to try Bom Retiro’s latest culinary influence—brought by one of the most recent waves of immigration: a delicious Korean barbecue dinner.

Many thanks to everyone who helped organize the field trip. It was truly a day to remember.

Pictures: Benjamin Junge, Camila Infanger Almeida, Carolina Motoki, Coco Sandoval

#41

Relationalities in Violence, Intersectional Alliances, Digital Inequalities, and More-than-Human Interactions – Kick-Off Workshop 2025

Carlos Nupia (Postdoctoral Investigator, Ibero-Amerikanisches Institut: Medialities of Conviviality)
Philipp Naucke (Postdoctoral Investigator, Freie Universität Berlin: Politics of Conviviality)

Drawing on Mecila’s interdisciplinary focus on conviviality and inequality, the event kicked off a year of discussions on urgent global issues, including violence, re-nationalization, digital divides, intersectional alliances, and more-than-human relations.

The Mecila Kick-Off Workshop 2025, held on 8–9 April at Cebrap in São Paulo, brought together scholars from Latin America and Germany to explore the theme of relationalities. Rooted in Mecila’s interdisciplinary focus on conviviality and inequality, the event launched a year of dialogue around pressing global issues, from violence, re-nationalization and digital disparities to intersectional alliances and more-than-human dynamics. The meeting highlighted interdisciplinary dialogues, collaborative thinking, and the engagement of both senior and emerging scholars.

The Workshop opened with a warm welcome by Adrian Lavalle (Cebrap / USP) and Rúrion Melo (Mecila / USP), setting a collaborative tone for a gathering that aimed to explore the theme of “relationalities” across multiple social, political, and epistemic dimensions. They emphasized the pertinence of thinking in terms of relationalities, noting that while not a new idea, relational thinking forms a foundational epistemological paradigm in the social sciences. Lavalle underscored the multidimensional nature of social phenomena and the challenge of identifying and articulating interconnected dimensions of inequality. Mecila, he argued, offers an ideal environment for advancing such interdisciplinary and relational inquiry.

With scholars and practitioners from Latin America and Europe, the workshop unfolded through a series of rich panels and discussions that underscored the complexity and urgency of relational approaches in a world marked by intensifying inequality and global crises.

Adrian Lavalle (Cebrap / USP) and Rúrion Melo (Mecila / USP) welcomed the public pointing out that relational thinking forms a foundational epistemological paradigm in the social sciences. Photo: Joel Silva

The first panel, “New Faces of Violence”, examined how contemporary violence transcends traditional legal and political frameworks. Beatriz Besen de Oliveira (USP) offered insights from her research comparing radical right-wing youth in Brazil and Germany. Her work traced how these movements construct a threatening “other,” informed by narratives of national decline, moral crisis, and resistance against pluralistic democracy. Karolina Wigura (FU Berlin / University of Warsaw) introduced the concept of “post-traumatic sovereignty”, explaining how nations — particularly in Eastern Europe — respond to historical trauma and the perceived erosion of statehood. Drawing from the war in Ukraine and Eastern European history, she argued that sovereignty is experienced not as a given but as a vulnerable, emotionally charged status, shaped by collective memory and a persistent fear of loss. Pedro Dallari (USP) then explored how contemporary conflicts challenge the international legal order, citing the erosion of norms around the use of force and the limitations of institutions like the UN Security Council. He reflected on how public opinion and civil society historically underpinned the international regime, and how this foundation is now destabilized by unilateral state actions and technological transformations in warfare.

The second panel, “More-than-Human Relationalities”, addressed non-anthropocentric modes of knowledge and political agency. Alexandre Nodari (Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina) reflected on the parallels between literature and shamanism, emphasizing fiction’s anthropomorphic nature and its limits in truly accessing other species’ modes of expression. He challenged the boundaries of language, fiction, and epistemology in human-nonhuman relations. Anne Broocks (FU Berlin) offered an ethnographic account of multispecies knowledge in the Amazon, showing how soils, forests, and humans co-create knowledge landscapes shaped by colonial histories, resource extraction, and local practices in Bolivia. The concept of “knowledge tipping points” illustrates moments when dominant understandings shift due to ecological, political, or economic pressures. Renato Sztutman (USP) closed the panel by advocating for a more-than-human politics. Drawing from Amerindian perspectivism, he argued for epistemologies that resist the binary of belief versus knowledge. His analysis of Guarani and Kaiowa communities illustrated how reclaiming territory is simultaneously a creative act of restoring cosmological and political life. 

Panel «New Faces of Violence»: contemporary violence transcends traditional legal and political frameworks. Photo: Joel Silva

Panel «More-Than-Human Relationalities»: non-anthropocentric modes of knowledge and political agency. Photo: Joel Silva

In the afternoon, a roundtable on “Intersectional Alliances and the (Fallacious) Critique of Identitarianism” unpacked the backlash against identity-based struggles. Nitzan Shoshan (Colmex), Bianca Santana (Casa Sueli Carneiro), and Sérgio Costa (Mecila / FU Berlin) debated the critiques of identitarianism, emphasizing the need to understand identities as starting points for political articulation and alliance-building rather than as fixed categories. Nitzan Shoshan linked this critique to right-wing movements that themselves rely on identitarian logics. Bianca Santana reframed identity politics as a struggle for universal rights that recognizes difference, rather than a narrow self-interest. Sérgio Costa argued that universalism often disguises its positionality and called for alliances that respect diversity while seeking transformative solidarity.

The day concluded with an introduction of a first group of 2025 Mecila Fellows highlighting the plurality of voices shaping Mecila’s relational research agenda. Monica Cerqueira Cardim presented her project that examines African diaspora through Black photography, exploring themes of imperial violence. Igor Sousa focuses on how development projects intersect with Black empowerment initiatives. Hanna Nohe’s current project explores the role of waste in modern society and its cultural implications. Ana Coutinho conducts ethnographic research on Kayapo Tawa and Karaja Tawa, studying the cultural significance and transformation of ritual masks.

Roundtable «Intersectional Alliances and the (Falacious) Critique of Identitarianism»: identities as starting points for political articulation and alliance-building rather than as fixed categories. Photo: Joel Silva 

The second day of the workshop opened with a focus on the institutional research areas coordinated by the three Postdoctoral Investigators: Carlos Nupia (Mecila / IAI, Medialities of Conviviality) Philipp Naucke (Mecila / FU Berlin, Politics of Conviviality), and Tilmann Heil (Mecila / UzK, [Hi]Stories of Conviviality), each briefly presenting the thematic scopes of their respective areas and the broader objectives of the Mecila framework.

This was followed by the panel “International Academic Cooperation: The Merian Centres and the Challenging Re-Nationalisation Tendencies”. Barbara Potthast (Mecila / UzK) traced their origins to earlier debates on Area Studies and the impact of 9/11, noting how Kompetenznetzwerke were precursors to today’s Centres, highlighting the challenges of transnational administration. Brenda Focás (CALAS) shared insights from the CALAS Merian Centre, discussing its activities, funding phases, and structural challenges in Argentina’s academic landscape, such as defunding and brain drain. Raul Machado (Fapesp / USP) emphasized Fapesp’s growing role in international cooperation, sharing historical narratives to illustrate how collaboration can catalyze scientific development, particularly in Brazil.

The midday panel addressed “Knowledge Asymmetries and Digital Inequalities”, moderated by Gloria Chicote (Mecila / UNLP). Alvaro Comin (Cebrap / USP) examined how digital platforms and AI reshape labor markets, disproportionately impacting creative jobs in the Global North while reinforcing precarious labor conditions in the Global South. Carolina Parreiras (USP) discussed digital inequality in Rio’s favelas, emphasizing the interplay between infrastructure, access, and local uses of technology, and introduced the concept of “meaningful connectedness”. She also analysed how digital devices are appropriated in marginalized contexts and how digital inequalities intersect with territorial militarization. Paula Menezes (Universidade de Campinas) explored the technopolitics of education, particularly how algorithmic tools affect teaching practices, educational policy, and structural inequalities. She criticized the seduction and governance power of platforms in Brazilian schools and their alignment with neoliberal educational reforms since the 1990s.

Panel «International Academic Cooperation: The Merian Centres and the Challenging Re-Nationalisation Tendencies». Photo: Joel Silva

Panel «Knowledge Asymmetries and Digital Inequalities»: labor, technology infraestructure and education in debate. Photo: Joel Silva

In the afternoon, a second group of Mecila Fellows were introduced. tita (Letizia Patriarca) discussed her ethnographic work on sex work and migration between Brazil and Italy. Livia de Souza explored the political representation of Black women in Brazil, focusing on non-electoral spaces of agency and the relational nature of political demands. Her work is based on a constructivist framework for analyzing representation. Finally, Wolfram Nitsch introduced his interdisciplinary project on «vehicular fictions» and urban mobility, connecting literary studies with sociotechnical imaginaries and urban inequalities.

The day concluded with final remarks by Barbara Potthast, Sérgio Costa, and Tomaz Amorim, reflecting on the thematic continuity from previous years and informing the year’s key themes for the next three years: violence (2026), digital inequalities (2027), and transitions from the global to the planetary (2028). They also highlighted Mecila’s commitment to fostering interdisciplinary research, collaboration with non-academic actors, and critical engagement with the complexities of conviviality and inequality, and expressing gratitude to participants and the organizing team.

: Watch the full recordings of the Kick-Off Workshop 2025 on Mecila’s YouTube channel.