Popular on eTradeWire
- New Novel Tells a Whale of a Traveler's Tale (Minus the Whale) - 162
- Queer Horror Poetry Collection Monsters in the Closet Now Available in Paperback - 148
- Arabella Wellness Center Launches Campaign to Expand Access to Women's Wellness Services Across North Texas - 140
- Can Your Inner Child Come Out and Play - 134
- Nieves Ministries Leads with Faith to Fortify Safety, Education, and Puerto Rican Culture in Colorado - 118
- RockNTix Announces Strategic Partnership with Microsoft to Power Next-Gen Event Ticketing Platform - 117
- Carnegie Hall Hosts Theatrical Concert: El Dorado – A Musical Portrait of Edgar Allan Poe - 116
- The Wuhan Lab Wasn't Just Certified — It Was Enabled: How U.S. Accreditation Helped Build a Global Crisis - 114
- Max Tucci dishes out hundreds of Chicken Parm Sandwiches to Bilt members on Rent Day, June 1st, 2025 - 114
- Howson Inspections: Uncovering Truth, Securing Homes—One Trusted Report at a Time - 113
Similar on eTradeWire
- A Himalayan Adventure Comes to Morris Plains – Meet Author K.A. Nayampalli
- N. J. Edmunds Launches Explosive New International Thriller – Ragged Island Release
- Meet a member our Team of Atlas Elite Entertainment, Demetrius Guidry
- 6-Month Startup Sprint Offers Fast-Track Roadmap to Launch an Online Business in 6 Months
- Company Notice LR Publishing London Ltd aka LR Price Publications Ltd
- RhinoIsland Media Announces Free Community for Business Book Authors
- Folio.YVR Expands Asia-Pacific Reach with Strategic Media Partnership with TTL News Korea
- Scott Burton Releases Chaos: A Study of Shadows - A Powerful Look at Emotional Survival and the Silence That Follows
- Real Estate CEO Launches Explosive New Book After $275,784 Wire Fraud Incident
- Rediscovered Christopher Lee Recording 'Elenore' Re-Released to Mark 10th Anniversary of His Passing
A conversation with renowned sociologist Boaventura de Sousa Santos on his five decade career
eTradeWire News/10782179
COIMBRA, Portugal - eTradeWire -- Boaventura de Sousa Santos was born in Coimbra and comes from a working class family. He has forged a highly diverse career that extends from his early years of academic struggle in law school to his prominent role in the creation and development of the World Social Forum. His figure stands out as that of a pioneer and tireless activist, who has left a profound mark on the understanding of society and the relentless pursuit of social justice.
From his early days, Boaventura de Sousa Santos embarked on an academic journey that led him to defy the restrictions imposed by the Portuguese dictatorship. His experience at Yale University in the 1970s during the height of the civil rights movement in the United States and his subsequent immersion in the life of a favela in Rio de Janeiro gave him a first-hand view of social inequalities and conflicts.
His return to Portugal on the eve of the April 25 Revolution and his active participation in the founding of the Faculty of Economics at the University of Coimbra signaled the beginning of a new phase. As director of the faculty, Boaventura dedicated himself to studying Portuguese society and, together with a group of researchers, created the Center for Social Studies in 1978, of which he was director until 2018.
In the same vein, Boaventura de Sousa Santos (https://globalsocialtheory.org/thinkers/santos-boaventura-de-sousa/) explains in this interview the most significant milestones of his life and career, his transformative experiences and his vision of a more just world.
More on eTradeWire News
Boaventura de Sousa Santos, were you always interested in working in the world of sociology? What inspired you?
I have always been concerned with the social and political problems of my time. Someone who comes from the working class, especially in the 1950s, lives intensely with social inequalities. I entered law school because during the dictatorship sociology studies were not allowed, and law was always a window to the social. Later I came to the conclusion that positivism and legal dogmatics weighed so heavily on the faculty that social problems were never addressed.
I went to West Berlin to study philosophy of law and the stay was my first big opening to contemporary issues. The city was divided by the Wall and I often crossed it to visit my girlfriend. They were two parallel worlds and that made me reflect a lot. I returned to Portugal but decided to study sociology preferably in combination with the law studies I had done. Then I went to Yale University to do a PhD in sociology of law (1969-1973).
We have noted that you have distinguished yourself as a sociologist, can you tell us a little more about your professional trajectory?
My work became better known after 2001 with my participation in the World Social Forum. It was an encounter of reciprocal interconnection with other social struggles, other narratives of liberation and emancipation. I became as involved as possible and speaking several languages facilitated the dissemination of my thinking. I also gave lectures in almost all regions of the world and my books were published in many languages, even though they were not easy to disseminate.
More on eTradeWire News
Boaventura de Sousa Santos, could you briefly describe your most important contributions to sociology and other related disciplines?
I am part of a vast tradition of critical thinking and, therefore, of critical sociology that for a long time had Marxism as its main theoretical source. After the WSF of 2001, my thinking was enriched by other theoretical perspectives without ever losing the Marxist matrix. However, Marxism became one of the components, together with anti-colonial thought and feminist thought in its immense diversity. Moreover, I realized that science is a valid knowledge, but it is not the only valid knowledge. From this emerged the epistemologies of the South.
What are the main research topics you have worked on throughout your career?
Epistemology, sociology of law, political sociology, postcolonial theory, globalization, social movements, multicultural democracy and human rights, with sociological research conducted in Portugal, Cape Verde, Macao, Mozambique, Angola, South Africa, Brazil, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador and India.
What do you consider to have been your biggest academic challenge so far and how have you overcome it?
The biggest challenge was to be able to transmit my knowledge to non-academic audiences and especially to social movement activists. How to talk about southern epistemologies without using the term, certainly far from their usual vocabulary. I overcame many hours of conversation about the content of ideas that are sometimes much simpler than the designations given to them by academia.
What advice would you give to students interested in pursuing a career in sociology?
Not to uncritically follow any one theory (for example: the southern epistemologies). Valuing science but knowing that there is other knowledge that answers questions that science cannot answer. Knowing that the understanding of the world is much broader than the Western understanding of the world.
From his early days, Boaventura de Sousa Santos embarked on an academic journey that led him to defy the restrictions imposed by the Portuguese dictatorship. His experience at Yale University in the 1970s during the height of the civil rights movement in the United States and his subsequent immersion in the life of a favela in Rio de Janeiro gave him a first-hand view of social inequalities and conflicts.
His return to Portugal on the eve of the April 25 Revolution and his active participation in the founding of the Faculty of Economics at the University of Coimbra signaled the beginning of a new phase. As director of the faculty, Boaventura dedicated himself to studying Portuguese society and, together with a group of researchers, created the Center for Social Studies in 1978, of which he was director until 2018.
In the same vein, Boaventura de Sousa Santos (https://globalsocialtheory.org/thinkers/santos-boaventura-de-sousa/) explains in this interview the most significant milestones of his life and career, his transformative experiences and his vision of a more just world.
More on eTradeWire News
- Bryckel Announces Seamless Integration with Rent Manager to Streamline Lease Abstraction
- International Bestselling Author Robert Rolih Joins Tom Hegna on "Financial Freedom with Tom Hegna"
- Rx Processing Corp. Movement Rx Processing corp.com Announces Strategic position
- WPB's Mounts Botanical Garden Announces FREE Summer Admission for Kids
- BABUSHKA To Make L.A. PREMIERE at Film Invasion L.A. Film Festival 6/21/25
Boaventura de Sousa Santos, were you always interested in working in the world of sociology? What inspired you?
I have always been concerned with the social and political problems of my time. Someone who comes from the working class, especially in the 1950s, lives intensely with social inequalities. I entered law school because during the dictatorship sociology studies were not allowed, and law was always a window to the social. Later I came to the conclusion that positivism and legal dogmatics weighed so heavily on the faculty that social problems were never addressed.
I went to West Berlin to study philosophy of law and the stay was my first big opening to contemporary issues. The city was divided by the Wall and I often crossed it to visit my girlfriend. They were two parallel worlds and that made me reflect a lot. I returned to Portugal but decided to study sociology preferably in combination with the law studies I had done. Then I went to Yale University to do a PhD in sociology of law (1969-1973).
We have noted that you have distinguished yourself as a sociologist, can you tell us a little more about your professional trajectory?
My work became better known after 2001 with my participation in the World Social Forum. It was an encounter of reciprocal interconnection with other social struggles, other narratives of liberation and emancipation. I became as involved as possible and speaking several languages facilitated the dissemination of my thinking. I also gave lectures in almost all regions of the world and my books were published in many languages, even though they were not easy to disseminate.
More on eTradeWire News
- Blue Radius Cyber Launches Radius360
- NEW "Summer Sip" Event Comes to City Winery Hudson Valley
- Petbeing Launches New E-Commerce Website to Bring Purposeful Pet Wellness Direct to Consumers
- Indie Band Run Downhill To Release "the Rattler" From Grammy® Winner T.j. Troy June 27th
- Soil Superheroes - Worms Combat Desertification and Drought
Boaventura de Sousa Santos, could you briefly describe your most important contributions to sociology and other related disciplines?
I am part of a vast tradition of critical thinking and, therefore, of critical sociology that for a long time had Marxism as its main theoretical source. After the WSF of 2001, my thinking was enriched by other theoretical perspectives without ever losing the Marxist matrix. However, Marxism became one of the components, together with anti-colonial thought and feminist thought in its immense diversity. Moreover, I realized that science is a valid knowledge, but it is not the only valid knowledge. From this emerged the epistemologies of the South.
What are the main research topics you have worked on throughout your career?
Epistemology, sociology of law, political sociology, postcolonial theory, globalization, social movements, multicultural democracy and human rights, with sociological research conducted in Portugal, Cape Verde, Macao, Mozambique, Angola, South Africa, Brazil, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador and India.
What do you consider to have been your biggest academic challenge so far and how have you overcome it?
The biggest challenge was to be able to transmit my knowledge to non-academic audiences and especially to social movement activists. How to talk about southern epistemologies without using the term, certainly far from their usual vocabulary. I overcame many hours of conversation about the content of ideas that are sometimes much simpler than the designations given to them by academia.
What advice would you give to students interested in pursuing a career in sociology?
Not to uncritically follow any one theory (for example: the southern epistemologies). Valuing science but knowing that there is other knowledge that answers questions that science cannot answer. Knowing that the understanding of the world is much broader than the Western understanding of the world.
Source: Global Social Theory
Filed Under: Publishing
0 Comments
Latest on eTradeWire News
- New Launches to Help Parents Find the Perfect Bike for Their Kids
- Degree Forward Celebrates Third Annual Graduation with Record-Breaking Class of 85 Graduates
- Corner Property Appointed as New Management Company for Plymouth Hill COA in Plymouth Meeting, PA
- Discreet, Affordable Invisalign in Reading Available from Exeter Smiles
- JAX Airport Garage Fire Sparks Delays — Unique Corporate Limos Offers Stress-Free Rides
- Sons & Dotters Wins Double Gold at The Largest Spirits Event In The World
- NSPEC Innovations Launches New BigCommerce Store with MAKDigital's BigCommerce Austin Theme
- Leadership Southeast Georgia Focuses On Education and Agriculture in Bulloch and Screven Counties
- Comedy Under The Stars: Comedian Don Barnhart Brings His Hilarious Show To Maui's Tropical Paradise!
- Electric Dough Pizza Co. to open in San Marco
- From Barrio to Transgender Pioneer: The Day that Changed Everything
- Entertainment Events Brings Two Laugh-Out-Loud Shows to New Spire Arts
- Rare vintage muscle cars from the Fairbairn Collection are sold in a June 14th auction held by Miller & Miller in Canada
- Abrazo at Rice Hope - Ribbon Cutting
- Shayla N. Atkins to Host Inaugural "Leadership Redefined" Conference in Houston on August 26, 2025
- Drive Smart Save +/-10% in Fuel Consumption - Reduce REGEN's +/-70% - ECOFUELMAX
- Last call for 2025 Industry Appreciation Awards nominations
- Bokka Group Showcases Expert Home Builder Consulting Services to Elevate Customer Experience and Sales
- Roadrunner Glass Joins True View Windows & Glass
- Careington's Customer CARE Team Named Finalist in the 2025 Customer Contact Week Excellence Awards