Permanent Faculty Member

Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/1983904257583624

Adjunct Professor at the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ) / Multidisciplinary Institute / Department of Education and Society. PhD in Education from the Federal University of Ceará (UFC), 2019; Master’s degree in Education from the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), 2014; Bachelor’s and Licentiate degrees in Philosophy from the State University of Ceará (UECE), 2006 and 2007, respectively.

Coordinator of the African and Afro-Diasporic Philosophy Section of the Brazilian Association of Black Researchers (ABPN); Member of the Expanded Coordination of the Latin American Association of Philosophy and Liberation (AFYL – BR); Member of the research groups Núcleo das Africanidades Cearenses: encantamento, pretagogia, ancestralidade (NACE) at UFC; Founding member and researcher of the REDE AFRICANIDADES Research Group (UFBA).

Her academic expertise lies in African Philosophies and Education, focusing particularly on African and Afro-Brazilian Philosophies; Philosophies of Ancestry and Enchantment; Ancestral Feminine Knowledge; African and Afro-Brazilian History, Culture, and Education; Ethnic-Racial Relations in Education; Afro-referenced Curricula and Methodologies; and African Philosophy in Adinkra symbols.

Holds Seat 39 at the Afro-Cearense Academy of Letters (AAFROCEL) and is a member of the Brazilian Network of Women Philosophers. Author of the book Filosofia Africana: ancestralidade e encantamento como inspirações formativas para o ensino das africanidades (2019).

CONTACT INFORMATION

Email: adilbenia@ufrrj.br

RESEARCH LINE

• Line 3: Ethnic-Racial and Gender Education – Afro-Diasporic Languages and Studies

RESEARCH GROUP

• Laboratory of Afro-Brazilian and Indigenous Studies (LEAFRO – UFRRJ)

The Laboratory of Afro-Brazilian and Indigenous Studies (LEAFRO) is an academic research space defined as multicultural and intercultural. It comprises researchers and research groups from diverse racial, ethnic, cultural, generational, gender, social class, and religious (or non-religious) backgrounds across different knowledge fields. This diversity is considered one of its core strengths, converging towards a shared mission: the anti-racist struggle and the fight against ethnic-racial inequalities in all their dimensions.

Founded in 2006 at the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro on the Nova Iguaçu campus, LEAFRO engages in teaching, research, and extension activities. It critically examines the intersections of racial, ethnic, class, cultural, gender, and religious dimensions with Brazilian racial relations and educational processes, in accordance with Law 10.639/2003, emphasized by Law 11.645/2008, and the Curricular Guidelines for Ethnic-Racial Relations Education.

The research, studies, and initiatives developed by LEAFRO scholars focus on intervention and the transformation of subjectivities, racist attitudes, and systems of domination and exclusion based on ethnic-racial identities within educational institutions and broader society.

RESEARCH PROJECTS

• Black Cinema and Samba in the Teaching of African Heritage: Afro-Referenced Curricular and Methodological Perspectives

(2023 – Present)
Coordinator: Adilbênia Freire Machado

• Ouro dos Sete Novelos: Pretagogical and Related Pathways for the (Re)construction of Ancestral Connections in Schools, Universities, and Quilombos

(2018 – Present)
Coordinator: Adilbênia Freire Machado

Description: This research project investigates the reinforcement of community bonds fostered by various forms of Afro-referenced ancestral connections within schools, universities, and the Black/Quilombola social movement. It adopts an interventionist research approach in educational settings—schools, universities, and quilombos—based on contemporary interpretations of selected African worldviews, particularly through the lens of pretagogia (Black-centered pedagogy) and related approaches.

Its key actions include conducting theoretical studies utilizing diverse Afro-referenced sources, selecting specific practices for incorporation into pretagogical and related interventions, and analyzing the extent to which these frameworks enhance ancestral connections, generate Afro-referenced didactic production, and strengthen community bonds in response to the adverse socio-political context.