Katucha Bento

Katucha Bento

DR

Personal profile

Biography

Katucha Bento is a Black feminist working on Critical Race Studies, Decolonial Thought, Queer Studies, and Rhetoric and Discourse Analysis. Her research-led teaching is grounded in autonomy and dialogical process, developing curricula inspired by creative and anti-racist dialogues of Global South and Global North epistemologies and artistic expressions. 

Currently, she serves as Lecturer in Race and Decolonial Studies, and is honorary chaplain in Candomblé. Previously, she served as co-director of RACE.ED Network until December 2023 - University of Edinburgh.

She is the co-founder of the Free Afro-Brazilian University of Sociology and Communication (UNAFRO); and the Associate Editor of the academic journal Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power

Her initial political formation started at the Núcleo de Consciência Negra na USP (1999), an organisation founded by the Black Movement where she studied the preparatory course for university. She further developed a passion for the engagement in research and education grounded in anti-racist and libertarian activism and scholarly work. Her areas of expertise are related to race and racialisation, Black Diaspora, coloniality and nation formation, feminism and womanism, dissident identities, performativity and embodiment. She holds a PhD in Sociology and Social Policy from the University of Leeds (2020), a Master's degree in Sociological Research from the University of Barcelona (2013), and a Bachelor's degree in Sociology and Politics from the Foundation School of Sociology and Politics in São Paulo (FESPSP) (2006).

Visiting and Research Positions

Leeds Beckett University – 2017 – 2019. Visiting scholar supervised by Professor Shirley Anne Tate. Associated with the Centre for Race, Education & Decoloniality (CRED). 

Justus Liebig University Giessen – October/2016 until January/2017, visiting PhD-scholar and temporary member of the International Graduate Centre for the Study of Culture (GCSC) at Justus-Liebig-University Giessen. Supervised by Dr Encarnación Gutiérrez Rodríguez. Associated with the Research Network in Queer Studies, Decolonial Feminisms, and Cultural Transformations (QDFCT).

Media

Current Research Interests

Critical Race Studies, Decolonial Thought, Black and Queer Feminism, and Rhetoric and Discourse

Research Groups

  • Associate Director of Race.ED Network

  • ABPN – Associação Brasileira de Pesquisadores Negros (Brazilian Association of Black Researchers).

  • CRED – Centre for Race, Education & Decoloniality. Leeds Beckett University.

  • QDFCT – Research Network in Queer Studies, Decolonial Feminisms, and Cultural Transformations, Justus-Liebig University, Gießen, Germany. 

  • CERS – Center for Ethnicity and Racism Studies, University of Leeds.

  • Black Feminist Society at the Leeds Student Union – University of Leeds.

  • APEC – Association of Brazilian Researchers and Students in Catalonia. President during the administration of 2012-13. Secretary during the administration of 2013-2014. Barcelona.

Research Interests

Affective economy, Love, Afrofuturism, Black Studies, Black Diaspora, Black Feminism, Quilombo, Queer Studies, Creative Methodology, Discourse, Racialisation, Race, Critical Race Studies, Decolonial Studies, Coloniality of Power, Modernity, Power, Environmental Justice, Food Sovereignty.

Research students

MBA SUPERVISIONS

  1. Jackeline Leite da Silva. 2014. Monograph: “e-Social: Obrigações fiscais previdenciárias e trabalhistas digitais”. Postgraduate Course: Aperfeiçoamento/Especialização em Pós Graduação em Recrutamento e Seleção. University of Guarulhos, Brazil.
  2. Mayara Loureiro. 2014. Monograph: “A influência da Liderança no Trabalho em Equipe” Postgraduate Course: Recrutamento e Seleção. University of Guarulhos, Brazil.
  3. Andréa dos Santos. 2014. Monograph: “Rotatividade de Operadores de Telemarketing em Call Centers”.  Postgraduate Course: Recrutamento e Seleção. University of Guarulhos, Brazil.
  4. Patrícia Duarte Faravula. 2014. Monograph: “Capacitação Profissional nas Empresas”. Postgraduate Course: Recrutamento e Seleção. University of Guarulhos, Brazil.
  5. Ariadne Ignácio da Silva Matta Oliveira. 2014. Monograph: “A perspectiva de Pessoas com Deficiencia no mercado de trabalho”. Postgraduate Course: MBA in Sistema de Gestão Integrada. University of Guarulhos, Brazil.
  6. José Neuvaldo Gomes da Silva. 2014. Monograph: “Pajelança em Belo Monte”. Postgraduate Course: MBA in Sistema de Gestão Integrada. University of Guarulhos, Brazil.

MSc AND MA SUPERVISIONS

  1. Matthew Cooper. 2019. "Gender, race, and power: A decolonial discourse analysis of performative gender in global politics". Postgraduate Course: MA Gender Studies. University of Leeds, United Kingdom.
  2. Christian Day. 2019. "“Letting Loose but it’s Less Cold”: Understanding the Political Functions of Leeds’ Queer Party Scene." Postgraduate Course: MA Gender Studies. University of Leeds, United Kingdom.
  3. Ruby Gahan. 2019. "Self-care instead of welfare: an analysis of gendered social media mental health discourse in austerity Britain". Postgraduate Course: MA Gender Studies. University of Leeds, United Kingdom.
  4. Amira Izeboudjene. 2019. "How do Intersectional negotiations happen within the Algerian community". Postgraduate Course: MA Gender Studies. University of Leeds, United Kingdom.
  5. Yaya Ji. 2019. "Cherish Lives? The Chinese Sexuality Education Textbook Developing with Contradiction". Postgraduate Course: MA Gender Studies. University of Leeds, United Kingdom.
  6. Allison Pitcher. 2019. "In Quietness & Full Submission: Gender, Patriarchy and the Quiverfull Movement: An Exploration of Fundamentalist Christian Movements as Gendered Systems of Oppression". Postgraduate Course: MA Gender Studies. University of Leeds, United Kingdom.
  7. Lucy Smith. 2019. "“We the Honey Badgers,…the ultimate feminist apostates”:  investigating the rhetorical positionalities of female Men’s Rights Activists in the USA". Postgraduate Course: MA Gender Studies. University of Leeds, United Kingdom.
  8. Jocelin Spencer. 2019. "Exploring Skin Bleaching and Race Performativity in Contemporary Jamaican society". Postgraduate Course: MA Gender Studies. University of Leeds, United Kingdom.
  9. Meggie Biebly. 2020. "How do people express perceptions of women’s hockey online?". Postgraduate Course: MA Gender Studies. University of Leeds, United Kingdom.
  10. Ellie Buck. 2020. "Examining why sex work is so contentious within the feminist movement and what this can tell us about contemporary gender relations". Postgraduate Course: MA Gender Studies. University of Leeds, United Kingdom.
  11. Izuki Higuchi. 2020. "How the legacy of the old-fashioned law affects the current patriarchal attitudes of the Japanese government". Postgraduate Course: MA Gender Studies. University of Leeds, United Kingdom.
  12. Benjamin Jackson. 2020. "Whether the construction of “sameness” in definitions of “homosexuality” delegitimizes the identities of non-binary people deemed attractive by homosexuals who view their gendered and sexed identities as the same as one another". Postgraduate Course: MA Gender Studies. University of Leeds, United Kingdom.
  13. Kim McFalone. 2020. "How does Northern Ireland media represent rape culture in relation to the 2018 Ulster Rugby rape trial?" Postgraduate Course: MA Gender Studies. University of Leeds, United Kingdom.
  14. Jessica Overholser. 2020. "Dissodant sexualities in comic book". Postgraduate Course: MA Gender Studies. University of Leeds, United Kingdom.
  15. Jennifer Poulter. 2020. "Investigating the various ways different people define and relate with feminism in the 21st century in the city of Leeds". Postgraduate Course: MA Gender Studies. University of Leeds, United Kingdom.
  16. Bhavi Prajapati. 2020. "In what ways can the de-conditioning of gender roles, labels and identities within Leeds, via spiritual philosophy, evokes truth, justice and equality among beings?". Postgraduate Course: MA Gender Studies. University of Leeds, United Kingdom.
  17. Weixuan Li. 2021. "Parent-child relationships in Chinese Single-child families: transformation of intimacy and parenting styles". MSc Digital Sociology. University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
  18. Pui Kei Wong. 2021. "Race Theory Critique on COVID-19, Racism, and East and Southeast Asian People in Scotland". MSc Digital Sociology. University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
  19. Megan Thomson. 2022. "Can the Border Crosser Ever Find a Place to Call Her Own?: An Autoethnographic Exploration of Transitory Social Class Identities". MSc Digital Sociology. University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
  20. Xin Pang. 2022. "The Interfaces and Communities' Impacts on Users' Sexual Objectification on Live Streaming". MSc Digital Sociology. University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
  21. Yuqing Ding. 2022. "The Transformtaion of People's Perception towards Pastoral Feminism on Weibo". MSc Digital Sociology. University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
  22. Yanyu Xing. 2022. "The development of feminist awareness among readers of Chinese online romance novels: comparing reader responses to three popular Jinjiang romance novels". MSc Digital Sociology. University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
  23. Yi Zhang. 2022. "Changes and effects of intimate relationships under epidemics". MSc Digital Sociology. University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
  24. Sitong Chen. 2023. "Exploring How Stand-up Comedies Influence the Online Feminist Movement in China". MSc Digital Sociology. University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
  25. Shiyue Xu. 2023. "The Dilemma of Chinese Full-time Mothers Returning to the Job Market": A Social Investigation into the Challenges Faced by Chinese Full-time Mothers in Re-entering the Workforce". MSc Digital Sociology. University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
  26. Mayoori Jeganmogan. 2023. "Parachute Oil and Zee TV Marathi?: Renegotiation of identity and hair oiling rituals amongst young South Asians in Scotland". MSc Digital Sociology. University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
  27. Lieb Fang. 2023. "The practice of distance relationships in a Chinese cultural context, how individuals describe the relationship, how they maintain it, how they explain its deviation from traditional norms, and how they reflect on and build the future of the relationship". MSc Digital Sociology. University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
  28. Chenquanyou Fang. 2023. "Distance Produces Beauty? ICT support and self-disclosure in long-distance romantic relationships". MSc Digital Sociology. University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
  29. Kaixi Zhou. 2023. "Emotional reflexivity in cultural shock: East/Southeast Asian sojourners in the UK". MSc Digital Sociology. University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
  30. Yiming Yang. 2023. "Critical discourse analysis of Asian women's media images based on Google's algorithmic recommendations". MSc Digital Sociology. University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
  31. Yannan Zhang. 2024. "Gender performativity in Korean Pop Music". MSc Digital Sociology. University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
  32. Tom Penney. 2024. "An exploration of queer people's experiences navigating dialogical negotiations of the possibilities of identities in different situations". MSc Digital Sociology. University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
  33. Masanobu Kikuchi. 2024. "The Coloniality of Knowledge Production in Large Language Models". MSc Digital Sociology. University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
  34. Huiwen Zhang. "Discourse of Vulnerability and Resilience in Climate Change: A decolonial view on case study of Indigenous women in Kenya". MSc Digital Sociology. University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom.

 

SUPERVISIONS

I currently supervise students in the Undergraduate and Postgraduate Programmes. Research areas involve: Critical Race Theory, Performativity, Black Feminism, LGBTQI+ (specially QTPoC) Studies, Gender Studies, Whiteness Studies, Rhetoric and Discourse Analysis.

Qualifications

CONTINUIUNG PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (CPD)

 

Teaching 

  • Teaching for Small Groups, University of Leeds, 01/10/2014. 
  • The importance of promoting autonomy in the classroom. Roberto Marinho Foundation, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) January 2009 – 40.0 hours.
  • Assessing students – how to provide feedback? – Alfabetização Solidária, Sao Paulo (Brazil), November 2008 – 12.0 hours.
  • Paulo Freire Theory transforming practices in the classroom – Alfabetização Solidária, São Paulo (Brazil), August 2008 – 40.0 hours.
  • Teaching Adults: practices of literacy and the liberation theory – Alfabetização Solidária, São Paulo (Brazil), September-November 2008 – 120.0 hours.
  • Children’s Literature for Adults – teaching training using art, images and reading practices by Rebeca Gelse Rodrigues, SISEB - Sistemas de Bibliotecas Públicas do Estado de SP (Brazil) – February-March 2001 – 120.0 hours.
  • Pedagogical Tools in Children’s Education – Saint Thomas International School, São Paulo, (Brazil), August 2000 – 8 hours.
  • Teaching Music to Young People: Theory and Practices of piano lessons – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart School, Ibiuna (Brazil), January 1999 – 120.0 hours.

 

Invited Lectures and Roundtables

  • A formação das instituições e a cidadania brasileira (The formation of Brazilian institutions and citizenship). Federal University of the Rio de Janeiro State (UniRio). Public Lecture organised by Professor João Paulo Martins, at the School of Political Science. 14th May 2020.
  • Building the Anti-Racist Classroom (BARC). Participation in the ‘Long Table Discussion”. Hosted by Professor Shirley Anne Tate at Leeds Beckett University. 15-16th June 2019.
  • Race, Mixed-ness (Mestiçagem) and Racial Democracy in Brazil - Lecture delivered at the Birmingham City University in the Black Studies Programme for the module “Black Intellectual Thought”, organised by Kadian Pow. 11th March 2019.
  • "HERstories: What happened to Marielle Franco?". Lecture for the Research Network in Queer Studies, Decolonial Feminisms, and Cultural Transformations (QDFCT), University of Gießen, Germany. 5th December 2018. 
  • Decolonising Geography: Theories, Methods, Praxis. Guest Lecturer on the topic: Diasporas and Intersectionality, convened by Alison Browne. The University of Manchester. 22nd November 2018.
  • Samba Building Notions of Unity and National Identity. Leeds Samba, UK. 31st July 2018. 
  • Challenging Eurocentrism and coloniality of power through reflexivity. (web participation) Symposium: Dismantling structural whiteness: decolonising political ecologies. University of Lancaster 21st July 2018. Organised by Katharine Howell, Luciana Mendes Barbosa and Craig Jones.
  • Brazil Forum. Oxford University and London School of Economics, UK, 5th – 7th May 2018. Mediator in the Roundtable “130 Years of Aurea Law: Was there an Abolition?” with Talíria Petrone e Prof. Silvio de Almeida.
  • What is AfroSamba? – Importance and Moves of Afro Brazilian music (workshop). Oya Batucada, Birmingham, UK. June 2016.
  • “Les claus de les protestes al Brasil” (The keys aspects of protests in Brazil). Col•legi de Periodistes de Catalunya, l’Associació dels investigadors i estudiants brasilers a Catalunya (APEC) i l’Agència de Comunicació Intercultural (Itacat). Fabrício Carrijo, Maria Badet Souza, Flávio Carvalho, Katucha Bento, Maria Carvalho Dantas. Barcelona, 26 June 2013.
  • “Pedagogy of the Oppressed inspired in Paulo Freire”. Lecture. Col.letiu Gai de Barcelona, July 2012.
  • "Queer Theory and Studies of Whiteness in Sociological Research”. The University of Barcelona – a group of three lectures on the module "Researching Sociology". April 2013.
  • Workshop “Embodying Awareness of Self through Samba”. Col.letiu Gai de Barcelona, September 2012.
  • Pedagogy Meeting at the University of Gurupi (Tocantins, Brazil), August 2008. Lecture: Multiculturalism and inter-transculturality: The culture and the teaching-learning process in adult education and literacy”.
  • Event about the Brazilian Slavery Abolition of 13th May 1888, Casa das Rosas, Sao Paulo (Brazil). May 2007. Organised by the Brazilian Black Movement. Roundtable: Inclusion, citizenship, social and racial apartheid. Paper: “Are Black people accessing Education?”.

Education/Academic qualification

Sociology and Social Policy , Doctor of Social Science, Thesis: “Weaving affect economy on (post)colonial narratives of diaspora: Black Brazilian Women in the United Kingdom”, University of Leeds

15 Feb 20145 Dec 2020

Sociology Research, Master of Social Science, “Whiteness between women: An intersectional prism about the Other(her) and the (her)self”, University of Barcelona

15 Feb 20115 Dec 2013

Sociology and Politics, Bachelor of Social Science, “Black parties, white parties: An update of racial democracy in the clubs of samba in Sao Paulo”, Fundação Escola de Sociologia e Política de São Paulo

12 Mar 20035 Dec 2006

External positions

Associate Editor of Identities Journal, Identities Journal

5 Jun 2021 → …

Co-founder of the Free Afro-Brazilian University of Sociology and Communication (UNAFRO)

Nov 2020 → …

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