My name is Beatriz Lopes Buarque

I was raised in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and my love for politics started in childhood. When I was six years old, I used to ask people who they would vote for in the upcoming elections and, trust me, I questioned their choices. Curiosity and a strong sense of social justice first led me to pursue a career in Journalism. Ten years later, they brought me back to the Politics Department at the University of Manchester.

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In Brazil, we usually say that Brazilians are essentially mixed race. Each Brazilian is the product of centuries of ethnic and racial encounters. Brazilians are also well known for their resilience. No matter how hard life gets, they don't lose hope. The diversity and resilience that constitute the hallmark of Brazilian culture have decisively shaped my research expertise, my teaching style, and my ability to move between academia, government, and industry.

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My research explores the nexus between AI, information warfare, and the global far right. Drawing on critical theory broadly construed and Lacanian psychoanalysis, I have examined how and why harmful conspiracy theories (particularly those targeting Black and Muslim communities) have been legitimised in online spaces, raising serious concerns for security and democracy.

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My teaching is characterised by a strong commitment to inclusive education and creative pedagogies involving AI and social media aesthetics.

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My research and teaching go hand in hand. At the same time that I'm contributing to the diagnosis of some of the main issues facing society today, I've helped develop strategies to address them,  engaging in policymaking, offering workshops to harness the benefits of AI tools for critical thinking and human agency, and designing course materials that aim to redefine the Western approach to education, making it a better fit for an international cohort of students growing up immersed in digital technologies.

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Beatriz by Beatriz? ​Some acceptable definitions would be: I am an expert on the far-right politics of (conspiratorial) truth. I am a researcher and lecturer who has made efforts to build bridges between academia, governments, international institutions, and civil society organisations. I am a Latina scholar named Beatriz Lopes Buarque.