UFMG professor starts Guest Professorship “Brazil Chair” in Münster for studies on hate speech
Ana Larissa Oliveira, an outstanding professor at the Faculty of Humanities at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), is the new holder of the Brazil Chair at the University of Münster, which this year will be hosted by Prof. Dr. Julia Metag at the Department of Communication (IfK). Within the framework of this 12-month visiting professorship, Prof. Oliveira will continue her research in Münster on the topic of “The new boundaries of the sayable in political discourse: the language of conflict as a challenge to pluralist societies”. The study will focus on the impact of hate speech and verbal attacks against minorities – an issue that is becoming increasingly important around the world. The Brazil Chair is funded by CAPES and aims to strengthen bilateral research cooperation and create networks between researchers from Brazil, Münster and in Germany. The UFMG is one of the most important partner universities of the University of Münster and alma mater of the last visiting professor of the Brazil Chair at the Faculty of Medicine.
Prof. Oliveira's research focuses on analysing how conflict language and hate speech directly affect democracies, especially in polarised societies. Her research has already involved collaborations with scholars from various universities in Brazil and abroad. In this context, the chair pursues an interdisciplinary research approach that includes a dialogue with different disciplines such as education, communication and political science. This project offers the opportunity to make a significant contribution to understanding and mitigating the negative effects of hate speech and verbal aggression in different contexts, whereby a high scientific added value can be expected, especially due to the diverse perspectives.
During her stay in Germany, which will begin in February 2025 and last until January 2026, Prof. Oliveira will be accompanied by two other fellows: a doctoral student and a postdoctoral researcher, who will spend six and twelve months respectively in Münster. The activities of the two young Brazilian researchers in Münster will multiply the opportunities for the exchange of knowledge and experience and for networking with students and researchers from the university's various institutes.
The call for applications for the Brazil Chair at the University of Münster in the 2024/25 round was on the topic of “Agonistic Plurality. Deep disagreements and fundamental conflicts as a challenge to pluralist societies” - one of the University of Münster's new research priorities - was extremely competitive and the professor is very pleased with her success: “I didn't have great expectations of success, but I didn't think it was impossible either, otherwise I wouldn't have applied,” Oliveira commented in an interview with CAPES.
Information on the planned activities of the New CAPES Brazil Chair team will be published regularly on our channels.
Further information:
UFMG professor selected for chair in Germany (in Portuguese)
