Navigating Academia from the Margins: An Afro-Latin Brazilian Woman’s Journey

Camila Andrade, a Research Fellow at the Institute for Pan-African Thought and Conversation (IPATC), University of Johannesburg, brings a blog post with a perspective shaped by the legacies of Blackness and womanhood – with echoes of her grandmother’s wisdom. With roots in Brazil and a deep commitment to the Global South, Camila’s early lessons in life laid the groundwork for scholarship that transcends national borders, while remaining firmly rooted in the urgencies of home. Her work is driven by questions that dominant academic fields too often ignore: What does it mean to think from the margins? And what knowledge is lost when power and hierarchies decide what counts?

Camila is currently pursuing a postdoctoral research in Political Science and International Relations at the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB) in Brazil.

As a cis, Black, Brazilian, Latina, woman from the Global South, my experiences have been shaped by these intersecting identities. Even as a child, I knew I would have to work  twice as hard to be taken seriously. I learned early to study hard and always to appear clean, tidy and keep my composure as soon as I became aware of the outside world. 

My grandmother reminded me that being the top in my class and getting good school grades would help me earn people’s respect. I had to be an exemplary child. But I also grew up with a deep fear that I would make mistakes and I often struggled with impostor syndrome. That fear stayed with me, even as I continued to succeed in work and life.

“I Don’t Belong Here”: Starting my Journey in IR

At college, I decided to enrol in an International Relations (IR) course, because I found the subject not only intriguing, but felt like it was a good fit for me. Initially, I didn’t envision myself in that space. I was studying in Salvador, Bahia, one of Brazil’s Blackest capitals, where 83% of the population is Black or Brown. But on the course, I didn’t see anyone who looked like me enrolled. It didn’t feel like that field of study was for Black bodies. That absence led me to question things more deeply. Why don’t Black people participate in the course? And for whom is International Relations really tailored for?

“Throughout my undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral programs, I had no Black female professors. In Brazil, Black female academics with PhD in postgraduate teaching roles make up just 0.4% of the population — even though 56% of the country identifies as Black.”

As I did further research, I began to understand that the study of the Global North — that is, the behaviour of powerful nations and the main themes pertinent to those nations — was the foundation that IR built on. I became interested in understanding why certain regions and research agendas are marginalised, particularly after noticing that no disciplines were focused on the African continent. 

I realised that there was a hierarchy for what was deemed important based on Eurocentrism and European scientism. These frameworks support the usage of “Westerners” and “Non-Westerners”, as well as the terms “civilised” and “primitive” in IR. As a result, the idea of European superiority influenced knowledge production by defining what was and wasn’t considered scientific, based on European preconceptions. The elimination of different forms of knowledge production, cultures, and life viewpoints that are incompatible with White Western culture is referred to as epistemicide.

I also noticed that Black bodies—particularly Black women—were largely absent/excluded from both academic studies and institutional spaces. This realisation inspired me to learn more about theories seen as peripheral and outside the mainstream of IR to better understand how I might help shape or influence the field. I began to ask: Why not create a space for studies and perspectives that reflects my presence and agency? 

Throughout my undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral programs, I had no Black female professors. In Brazil, Black female academics with PhD in postgraduate teaching roles make up just 0.4% of the population — even though 56% of the country identifies as Black.

Myself as the ‘Outsider Within’

As a result, I came to the realisation that it was going to be challenging to position myself, have a voice, and bring specific agendas into the field. The Afro-American social theorist Patricia Hill Collins created the concept of the “Outsider Within”, which refers to being a part of academia but not actively participating or being included in dominant groupings due to differing ideals and outlooks on life. These dominant groupings are primarily composed of White, straight, cisgender men.

Recognising that dominant groups control academic spaces and set research objectives allows us to  critically reflect on our own role in forming and deconstructing knowledge production. It also helps us see who gets to speak and who is accepted in these environments. Being an “Outsider Within” has defined both my academic path and my overall existence. While being middle-class gave me access to some privileges and spaces, it did not validate my sense of truly belonging in academic circles, especially in a society marked by deep inequalities and oppression. For a long time, my walk in life was very lonely.

However, that did change when I became aware that there is space for us to act and create change. This happened when I began speaking with my colleagues, who are also Black women from the Global South. To ensure that future generations have the option to belong in these settings, it is crucial that we keep occupying these spaces.

“I believe it is essential that we consider the kinds of books we read, who writes them, and whether they are mostly written by males, women, or people of other genders. We should also reflect on race and ethnicity, and the geographical and/or geopolitical location of the author.”

Disrupting Colonial Continuities in International Relations

To be a political and transformational agent, we must recognise the neocolonial forces at play in IR and how colonialism persists through the coloniality of power and knowledge. With this awareness, I started working on subjects mainstream IR ignores, bringing diversity and various perspectives and ideas. 

In light of this, and as part of my postdoctoral research, I am working on a project to decolonise IR in Brazil. Such an effort involves exploring alternative approaches to science— by rethinking critical perspectives, incorporating different locations/regions, and acknowledging other theoretical viewpoints, to find answers beyond those shaped by the coloniality of power and knowledge.

I believe it is essential that we consider the kinds of books we read, who writes them, and whether they are mostly written by males, women, or people of other genders. We should also reflect on race and ethnicity, and the geographical and/or geopolitical location of the author.

The expansion of research and lectures in the field has made it possible to share knowledge with those already working on such topics. It also provokes others to reflect and question their academic preferences, such as reading books written by cis, white men from the Global North.

I Am Because We Are

Like Grada Kilomba — the Portuguese interdisciplinary artist and writer — I believe true empowerment comes from “being yourself”, rather just striving to “be the best”. Today, the present-day Camila believes that by connecting with other people, particularly Black women, she can become stronger and bring about change for the community as a whole. 

I am who I am today because of the several Black women who have made it possible for me to get to where I am, including Sueli Carneiro, the Afro-Brazilian intellectual and Black feminist; Carolina Maria de Jesus, the Afro-Brazilian writer who documented her life in the favelas in São Paulo; and Lélia Gonzalez, the Afro-Brazilian intellectual, philosopher, politician, professor, anthropologist, and Black feminist.

To create real change in academia, we must build and weave strong support networks and develop welcoming spaces for and exchange. We must also think of the Global South as both an important producer of knowledge and an agent for driving pragmatic and meaningful change. As an example of these accomplishments, this piece was requested by the Global Souths Hub team after hearing my presentation, ‘Decolonizing Knowledge: Embracing Diverse Epistemologies Beyond Eurocentrism in International Relations,’ at the British International Studies Association (BISA) 2025 virtual conference in January 2025, which looked at global political imaginations an how we can move towards a more inclusive world virtual conference.