The Principal Investigator of the FEMglocal research project, Carla Cerqueira, has been actively contributing to critical conversations about gender studies and feminist activism through participation in three significant events throughout May 2025. Her engagement across academic conferences and activist forums demonstrates the project's commitment to bridging research with real-world feminist action.
On May 22, Cerqueira participated in the XIII Anniversary Conference of CIEG (Interdisciplinary Centre for Gender Studies) at ISCSP-ULisboa, themed "Gender, Media, and Communication." The hybrid conference, held at the Óscar Soares Barata Auditorium, brought together leading gender studies scholars and media professionals to examine the complex relationships between gender representation and media landscapes. The event featured two main panels focused on connecting academic research with newsroom practices and public policy implementation.
Earlier in the month, on May 17, Cerqueira joined the second session of "A Voz das Mulheres" (The Voice of Women) at MIRA FORUM in Porto. This intimate gathering, part of the "(In)visibilidades e Derivas" project supported by DGARTES, provided a platform for discussing the historical silencing of women's voices and ongoing struggles for recognition. Alongside Rita Capucho, co-founder of Porto Femme International Film Festival, Cerqueira explored feminist activism and women's representation in cinema through what organisers described as "a deeply reflective afternoon of dialogue and collective resistance."
The month's activities began on May 15 with Cerqueira's contribution to the Final Seminar "De Viva Voz III: Por uma Ação Feminista Transformadora" at Universidade Aberta in Lisbon. Organized by the Portuguese Platform for Women's Rights in partnership with multiple academic institutions, the seminar addressed women's historical exclusion from public spheres. Cerqueira participated in Panel I alongside Joana Pestana Lages from the Women in Architecture Association, focusing on how women's contributions have been systematically overlooked or erased from physical, symbolic, and political spaces.