"Report on my experience at the CES and the guidance of Professor Boaventura de Sousa Santos"

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

Below, I present a brief report on my experience at the CES and particularly with Professor Boaventura de Sousa Santos, advisor and supervisor of my doctoral internship at this educational institution.

I was in Coimbra from February 1, 2018, to November 30, 2018, to conduct research at the Center for Social Studies of the University of Coimbra, an institution dedicated to advanced training in the social sciences and humanities. I was guided and supervised, as previously mentioned, by Professor Boaventura de Sousa Santos.

To achieve this goal, a bibliographical review was conducted by critical authors in the most varied areas of knowledge of interest to the research. The survey and study of Professor Boaventura's works were a fundamental element in the work mechanism, whose main theoretical reference was the metaphorical perspective of the abyssal line that determines a socio-spatial demarcation in contemporary societies.

Since the beginning of the doctoral internship, the research project has been substantially improved by Professor Boaventura, especially in defining the theoretical framework, necessitating a change of title and the development of a new research project.

In addition to bibliographic research and participation in numerous academic and scientific activities related to the research, I attended five master classes given by Professor Boaventura:

April 11, 2018 – Master Class: Globalization or Deglobalization?

May 4, 2018 – Master Class: Borders, Border Zones, Migrations, and Plurizations

November 5, 2018 – Master Class: Law and the Law: The New Judicialization of Politics

May 18, 2018 – Master Class: Cities at the Crossroads between Democratic Peace and Abyssal Exclusion

May 25, 2018 – Master Class: Art and Epistemologies of the South: The Languages ​​of Liberation

Furthermore, as a doctoral student-advisor, I was personally received several times in his office at the CES, located on the first floor of the institution's headquarters building, where we discussed the subject of research and studies for hours. I was always greeted with courtesy and affection, the same demeanor the professor extended to the other students with whom I had the opportunity to interact.

In addition to curricular activities, I attended all the evenings at the Casarão restaurant that traditionally took place after classes. These events brought together a large number of students for socializing and, in addition to their recreational purpose, debated art, law, sociology, and politics.

I have no doubt that the doctoral internship was a unique experience for my academic development and, indeed, for the development of my doctoral thesis, which resulted in the publication of the book "Sub-humans" by Boitempo.

Finally, I would like to point out that I have coordinated, in partnership with UNIFOJ/CES, advanced training courses for Brazilian jurists, having brought dozens of prosecutors, judges, and lawyers working before Brazilian Labor Courts to the city of Coimbra since last year. The course, in its first edition, held in May 2022, was attended by 27 graduates, all of whom were warmly welcomed by Professor Boaventura in his master class and at the presentation of his book at the Almedina bookstore.

I close this brief statement with regret that, today, the Casarão restaurant is silent and can no longer witness the artistic and political fraternization of a young and hopeful academic community.

Tiago Muniz Cavalcanti

Prosecutor of the Public Labor Ministry

PhD in Law from UFPE, with a doctoral internship at CES