Earlier today, April 12, we received the deeply troubling news that Boaventura de Sousa Santos, the author of Epistemologies of the South: Justice Against Epistemicide, whose book we have been discussing in our {Method}ology Otherwise Reading Group, has been accused of sexual misconduct by former students, as narrated in chapter 12 of the recently published book: Sexual Misconduct in Academia: Informing an Ethics of Care in the University.
In light of this, we are discontinuing our #JusticeAgainstEpistemicide series. Our Group will no longer discuss the work of the “Star Professor” as we find it would run counter to our ethos and positionality to provide a platform for his work at this time. As South/South Movement, we unconditionally condemn the Star Professor’s actions and stand in full solidarity with and support of those who have had to endure not only his predatory abuse of power but the complicity of the university in enshrouding it.
Instead, we dedicate our next reading group session to raise the voices of those who have survived sexual misconduct and are working to expose it. For our May 4 session, we will be reading and discussing the following chapter from the aforementioned book: “The walls spoke when no one else would: Autoethnographic notes on sexual-power gatekeeping within avant-garde academia” by Lieselotte Viaene, Catarina Laranjeiro, and Miye Nadya Tom.
This reading group is co-convened by Carolina Bertazolli and Taraf Abu Hamdan within the {Method}ology Otherwise Research Group.
Registration: