My Journey, Briefly

I was born and raised in Brazil. I grew up in a small town and attended a rural school. In high school, I received a full scholarship to complete my studies in Germany. In 2011, I earned my bachelors degree in International Relations at the University of Brasilia. At the end of this program, I had the opportunity to begin working in the Brazilian Amazon – an experience that changed my life forever.

I then decided to go – of all places – to the opposite side of the globe, to Australia, to study Integrated Water Management. I completed my fieldwork for the master's program in the Tapajós River basin, one of the main tributaries of the Amazon. In later years, I spent extended periods of time conducting fieldwork for my Ph.D. in the Tapajós, Xingu, and Teles Pires basins.

I started my doctoral program centering on environmental issues in the Amazon (mining, cattle ranging, dams, deforestation, etc.). During the program, my analytical focus widened to include social movements, gender, human rights, and racial and ethnic issues in Latin America. It is clear to me that environmental conflict is a powerful lens for the critical study of politics in the Amazon, Latin America, and the world.