Academic Event and Book Publication as Part of the CAPES Brazil Chair at the University of Münster

As part of her research activities as holder of the CAPES Brazil Chair at the University of Münster, Prof. Dr Ana Larissa Oliveira (FALE/UFMG) is organising the interdisciplinary event “Conflictive Language, Gender and Democracy in Brazil and Germany: Multidisciplinary Perspectives” on 28 July 2025 at the Institute of Communication Studies. The event will take place from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (CEST) at the University of Münster and will bring together researchers from the University of Münster, the University of Duisburg-Essen and the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG).

The focus will be on linguistic dynamics of authoritarian discourses in Germany and Brazil, particularly with regard to gender equality and democratic values. The event will shed light on how language can contribute to the marginalisation of social groups – for example, through misogynistic, transphobic or xenophobic rhetoric – and how such forms of linguistic violence can normalise anti-democratic tendencies.

Prof. Dr Ana Larissa Oliveira will address the topic: “The Role of Creative Language in the Online Ostracisation of Transgender People: A Case Study from Brazil.” In it, she analyses how verbal attacks, insults and provocations are deliberately used to discredit marginalised groups online and undermine their visibility. The programme will also cover topics such as the frequently invoked “us versus them” narrative contrasting rich and poor, counterattacks on right-wing extremists in Germany and Brazil, socio-ecological issues, communicative conflicts, and a literary analysis of the degree of (im)politeness in Tolstoy’s classic “Anna Karenina”.

Registration for the event is required and ca be made via following link.

Programme

Accompanying the event, another outcome of the CAPES Brazil Chair is the publication of the book “Linguagem Digital, Gênero e Democracia no Brasil” (Digital Language, Gender and Democracy in Brazil), co-edited by Ana Larissa Oliveira, now available as an open-access publication. The publication was produced in collaboration with Tímea Drinóczi, Janaína Lima Penalva Silva, Monique Vieira Miranda and João Pedro Cirino Marques, doctoral candidate of the Brazil Chair team, as part of the project Impolidez Digital (Digital Impoliteness).

The book examines how authoritarian language deepens social divisions, particularly through attacks on the judiciary, the LGBTQIA+ community and women. It is aimed at both students and researchers and provides pedagogical material for critically engaging with language, democracy and fundamental rights.