On June 23rd at 3AM (Portuguese time), Carla Cerqueira, the principal investigator of the FEMglocal - Glocal feminist movements: interactions and contradictions research project, funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) through national funds (PTDC/COM-CSS/4049/2021 / DOI 10.54499/PTDC/COM-CSS/4049/2021), remotely participated in the 74th Annual ICA Conference (Broadbeach, Queensland, Australia, and online).
In a hybrid session on “Feminist Discourses and Counter-Discourses in the Public Sphere”, from the “Feminist Scholarship” section, Carla Cerqueira presented the paper “Portuguese #MeToo Movement and Intersectionality: Media’s Role in Shaping Public Spheres and Omissions”, developed in collaboration with Ana Sofia Pereira (post-doctoral fellow) and Célia Taborda (Co-PI).
The presentation focused on the analysis and discussion of the presence (or absence) of intersectionality in the #MeToo movement in Portugal, aiming to explore the role of the media in shaping public perceptions. How did the main Portuguese media outlets, magazines, and newspapers, portray the #MeToo movement, its agendas, and the narratives of victims/survivors? Were diverse identities given a voice? Or did the media perpetuate a homogenized discourse?
These were the questions that led to a presentation which, despite the late hour in Portugal due to the time difference, sparked an engaging reflection with participants from around the world on the work being developed by FEMglocal.