Djamila Ribeiro visits campus, challenges lecture attendees to complicate their worldviews

On Oct. 17, the Black feminist scholar Djamila Ribeiro visited the University of Georgia’s campus to speak about her new book Where We Stand — her first work translated into English.

“Seeing my work translated into English has been particularly rewarding as it allows my ideas to resonate with a broader audience while maintaining the core of what’s rooted in my experiences as a Black woman in Brazil,” Ribeiro said.

While in Athens, Ribeiro met with students from the Portuguese Flagship Program and gave the Wilson Center Distinguished Lecture “Where We Stand: A Look at Black Feminist Thought in Brazil” to more than 100 attendees.

“I think it’s difficult for some non-Brazilians to conceptualize just how incredible it was to have Djamila Ribeiro on our campus,” said one lecture attendee. 

During her lecture, Ribeiro spoke about the idea of a “speaking place.” Ribeiro’s conception of a “speaking place” examines the intersection of identity and power — which people can say what and how their voices are perceived.

Ribeiro called on attendees to consider how their own identities intersect with power and where their own blindspots are.

“We’re blind to what happens outside the U.S. because we think it doesn’t concern us,” said another lecture attendee. “However, like Djamila said, we are global citizens and live in a global context — knowing and understanding contexts outside of our own is essential.”

Ribeiro sees her visit to the University of Georgia as a moment to encourage dialogue about race, gender and intersectionality. This event was part of a partnership between the Portuguese department at the University of Georgia and Spelman College.

“I truly enjoyed connecting with students and scholars, and I hope that our conversations sparked both personal reflection and collective action,” said Ribeiro.

This semester, Ribeiro is a visiting professor at New York University. Ribeiro also leads Feminismos Plurais, a non-profit organization aimed at supporting socially vulnerable women, and she is currently working on a guidebook for women facing domestic violence.
 

Story by Portuguese undergraduate student Bridget Goodman.