Uni-Tübingen

Manoela de Oliveira Veras

 Research Project

Manoela de Oliveira Veras is a PhD candidate at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Global South Studies. Her project examines how demographic change and fertility decline are framed as political, economic, and security concerns within international development and population governance debates. Drawing on critical International Relations and reproductive justice, it investigates how international organisations, state institutions and political representants construct competing understandings of desirable reproduction. Thus, the research explores how population discourses categorise specific groups as precarious, excessive or in need of intervention, and how these classifications are shaped by a racialised aspect. Attention is given to the visual and narrative dimensions of population governance, including reports, campaigns, and media representations. Finally, her studies consider how Black feminist movements create counternarratives to past and current reproductive policies. In addition to her doctoral research, she works on independent projects dedicated to the democratisation of academic knowledge and feminist theory.

Research Interests

  • Critical International Relations

  • Feminist Theory in International Relations

  • Development Studies

  •  Reproductive Politics and Demographic Governance in Brazil

  •  Reproductive Justice

  • Race and International Relations

  •  Interventionism in the Global South

  • Critical Security Studies

Conference and Paper Presentations

  • Presented the paper “Gender-Based Political Violence in Santa Catarina: The Case of Maria Tereza Capra” at the XX Encontro Estadual de História, Brazil (August 2024). 

  •  Presented the paper “From the Margins to the Centre: The Invisibility of Black Women in Academic Feminism” at the XIII International Symposium Fazendo Gênero, Brazil (August 2024).

  • Presentation entitled “Dialogues with Communities” at the Bridge Final Workshop, held at the University of Cambridge, England (November 22nd , 2022).

  • Presentation entitled “Diálogos com a Comunidade” at the International Sustainability Meeting, held at the Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Portugal (December 5th, 2022).

Teaching

  • Lecturer at Vereador Mirim Programme by the Assembleia Legislativa de Santa Catarina, Brazil (March 2023 – August 2025).
    Lecturer in Democracy and Citizenship Education for the youth in the state of Santa Catarina. Taught over 3,000 students from all regions of the state. In 2024, was also the keynote speaker at the closing conference.

  • Teaching Assistant History Undergraduate Programme, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil (July 2023 – December 2023).
    Provided classes on topics related to methodology and scientific approaches in the humanities for the Final Thesis Project course in the History Bachelor’s programme.

  • Undergraduate Academic Monitor, Historical Context course, International Relations undergraduate programme at University of Southern of Santa Catarina (March – June 2022).
    Provided tutorial sessions and prepared teaching materials for undergraduate students on topics related to History and International Relations.


Publications

  • Veras, M. de O. (2026). “I Do Not Recall the Name of the Thing that Attacked Me Inside”: Development, necropolitics and Reproductive Governance in Brazil. Feminist Theory. Forthcoming 2027.

  • Veras, M. de O.; Decker, V. L.; Pedro, J. M.; Silva J. G. de. (2025). A Violência Política de Gênero em Santa Catarina: o caso de Maria Tereza Capra. Revista Santa Catarina em História, 19(1), 01–19.

  • de Oliveira Veras, M., Parenti, E., Neiva, S.d.S. (2021). Food Security: Conceptual History and Pillars. In: Leal Filho, W., Azul, A.M., Brandli, L., Özuyar, P.G., Wall, T. (eds) Zero Hunger. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69626-3_21-.

  • Gewehr, L.L. de P., Parenti, E., Veras, M. de O., de Andrade Guerra, J.B.S.O. (2020). The Importance of Women’s and Girl’s Education for the Achievement of Sustainable Development: A Literature-Based Review. In: Leal Filho, W., de Andrade Guerra, J.B.S. (eds) Water, Energy and Food Nexus in the Context of Strategies for Climate Change Mitigation. Climate Change Management. Springer, Cham. doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-57235-8_19.