Prof. Adilbênia Freire Machado

Short-Term Fellow
March 2025

Bio

Adilbênia Freire Machado is an Adjunct Professor at the Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), Department of Education and Society at the Multidisciplinary Institute. She serves as the Vice-Coordinator of the Pedagogy Program and is a faculty member of the Graduate Program in Education, Contemporary Contexts, and Popular Demands (PPGEduc – UFRRJ). Her research focuses on African and Afro-Brazilian history, culture, and education, with particular emphasis on African philosophies, decolonial methodologies, ancestral knowledge, and anti-racist education. She coordinates the African and Afro-Diasporic Philosophy division of the Brazilian Association of Black Researchers (ABPN) and is a member of various academic groups, including the Association of Philosophy and Liberation (AFyL – Brazil), the Brazilian Network of Women Philosophers, and several research collectives on African and Afro-referenced philosophies. Machado has published numerous books and articles on African philosophy, feminist ancestral wisdom, and decolonization in education. Notable works include Filosofia Africana: ancestralidade e encantamento como inspirações formativas para o ensino das africanidades (2019) and multiple book chapters and journal articles exploring African-centered pedagogies.

Research

Philosophy and Education, Education, African and Afro-Brazilian History and Culture, Contemporary African Philosophies, Philosophies of Ancestrality and Enchantment, Female Ancestral Knowledge, Afro-referenced Curricula and Methodologies, Odus Methodologies, Anti-racist and Counter-colonial Education, Education for Ethnic-Racial Relations

Regions

African Diaspora in Brazil

Languages

Portuguese, Spanish, English, French, Yoruba

books

Filosofia da Libertação Latino-americana e Africana: Liberdade e Resistência (co-edited with Daniel Pansarelli and Eduardo Oliveira), Goiânia: Phillos Academy, 2024.

Filosofia Africana: ancestralidade e encantamento como inspirações formativas para o ensino das africanidades, Fortaleza: Imprece, 2019.

articles

“Filosofia Africana: Filosofias da Ancestralidade, do Encantamento e da Sagacidade como Poéticas de Resistências,” in: Filosofia da Libertação Latino-americana e Africana: liberdade e resistência, Goiânia: Phillos Academy, 2024, p. 201-219.

“Escrevivências filosóficas com as cabaças ancestrais Conceição Evaristo e Paulina Chiziane,” in: Revista Araticum 25 (2024), p. 7-29.

“Filosofias africanas: Vozes plurais e contracoloniais nas tessituras filosóficas e educativas,” in: Saberes 24 (2024). p.1-10.

“Filosofia africano-brasileira: ancestralidade, encantamento e educação afrorreferenciada,” in: Cuadernos De Filosofia Latinoamericana 43 (2022), p. 1-13.