Dr. Angela Torresan

Biography

Angela De Souza Torresan is a lecturer in Visual Anthropology at the University of Manchester, where she has been since 2007. She holds a Master's degree in Social Anthropology from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, obtained in 1994, and a PhD in Social Anthropology and Visual Media from the University of Manchester, completed in 2004. Before her current position, she engaged in a two-year post-doctoral research fellowship at Universidade Federal Rio Grande do Norte. Her research focuses on urban anthropology, particularly within the contexts of gentrification, urban renewal, and the dynamics of cultural change in Brazil and Portugal. Torresan's work critically examines the processes of identity formation among middle-class Brazilian migrants in London and Lisbon, and she utilizes film as a medium for ethnographic research. Her current projects also address the impacts of urban public policies and the securitization of favelas in Rio de Janeiro, particularly in relation to the socio-political climate in Brazil leading up to the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics. She is dedicated to exploring themes of belonging, nationhood, and social relationships formed through migration, emphasizing the importance of validating research that elevates the voices of the urban poor.

Research Interests

Experience