Overview
COORDINATION: Ana Cristina Santos and Adriana Bebiano
The PhD programme in Feminist and Queer Studies at the Faculty of Arts, in collaboration with the Centre for Social Studies, at the University of Coimbra, is a particularly interdisciplinary programme that brings together various specific fields within the Humanities and Social Sciences.
This programme is an update of the previous PhD in Feminist Studies, which began in 2015/2016, and aims to better address advanced research and contemporary social issues. It was accredited by the Agency for the Evaluation and Accreditation of Higher Education (A3ES) in 2026 for a period of six years (until 2032). Offered biennially – with a new intake every two years – the PhD in Feminist and Queer Studies has a teaching staff specialising in the subject areas covered and grounded in feminist and queer epistemologies.
The programme aims to familiarise students – who have prior training in various disciplines – with a wide range of theoretical approaches, social issues and methodologies relevant to Feminist and Queer Studies.
From the outset, it is essential to develop an awareness of the institutional models, social practices and normative discourses that construct images of women, men and non-binary people, frame their behaviour and define their social roles within a hierarchical – and even exclusionary – framework, which must be challenged and transformed.
The analysis of empirical data on the diversity of lived experiences is combined with conceptual tools essential to advanced research. It is expected that students will acquire the skills necessary to develop and implement innovative projects relevant to the academic field of Feminist and Queer Studies, leading to a deeper knowledge in this field of study and to changes that contribute to fairer and more democratic societies.
The course offers a stimulating environment in which debate between students is prioritised as a privileged form of learning. The seminars value interdisciplinary approaches and methodologies and make it possible to build a truly comprehensive curriculum in Feminist Theories.
Mariacristina Migliore, all but dissertation (Italy)
"The program was the best choice I made. Since the first semester, the exchange with the teachers and students was extremely enriching. I am constantly growing as a feminist researcher, student and activist, and I owe such progress to the welcoming and integrated learning environment that CES provides."
Marina Faria, PhD (Brazil)