Maria João Gonçalves is an intern at the United Nations University International Institute for Global Health (UNU-IIGH).
She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Coimbra, Portugal, having graduated in 2023, and is now in the final year of her Master’s degree in Psychological Sciences at the same institution.
In addition to her internship at UNU-IIGH, Maria João is the president of Alvorada Próspera – Associação, a youth association dedicated to social and cultural causes. Her academic work is complemented by her multidisciplinary Master’s thesis titled “How do women’s roles shape collective resistance and empower incarcerated displaced people.” This research delves into the feminist struggle of displaced women worldwide, while also exploring the cultural and ethnographic dimensions of women’s resistance, with a particular focus on the role of art. The thesis aims to critique the kyriarchal systems perpetuated through border regimes and incarceration on a global scale.
Research Interests:
- Social Psychology
- Political Psychology
- Political Ecology
- Ethnography