Portuguese sociologist Boaventura de Sousa Santos, 82, who has been accused of sexual harassment by three former students at the University of Coimbra’s CES (Center for Social Studies), said the allegations were “a pathetic act of revenge”. He said that one of the authors of the article accusing him of harassment, Belgian Lieselotte Viaene, was expelled from CES for “incorrect and undisciplined conduct.” He accused her of being “sluggish”.
The statements were made in a text emailed to students, alumni and staff at CES this Wednesday morning. Boaventura de Sousa Santos is Director Emeritus of the institution. In “Diário de uma defamação 1” as he titled the text Boaventura explains that he will file a criminal complaint for defamation against the authors in addition to Viaene, the Portuguese Catarina Laranjeiro and the North American Myie Nadya Tom. He claims he never met the two, who “graduated with top grades.”
In the email, Boaventura de Sousa Santos criticized the publisher Routledge, responsible for publishing the article and some of his own books for “unearthing such a clever, such a mendacious text” that “is a solid… theoretical framework” taken from the literature that arose in the wake of the MeToo movement” to “anonymous tips, rumors and unidentified and unproven incidents”.
He is also defending himself against allegations that he encouraged afterschool meetups at a restaurant in Coimbra known as Casarão to create intimacy with students.
“What perversity can turn living together in the purest academic spirit into manipulations of conscience and rituals of fidelity,” he wrote. “I invite everyone to go into the restaurant and look at the tiled plaques with the names of PhD students who have shared good moments in conversation, poetry reading and music over the years. The owner of the restaurant tells me that the students still come from Brazil to show their children the pictures that have their names on them when they studied here”.
Another accusation the former student made against Boaventura in addition to sexual harassment was that she could only write so many texts and books because she was exploiting researchers. According to the allegations, young investigators worked for the professor without their achievements being recognized. “Obviously they were helping me with the investigation because that’s what they were hired to do,” he defended. “I have written many books because I work nonstop and never take vacations, because I love my job and because I have a secretary and an assistant editor, two wonderful people and outstanding professionals who have been with me for several decades.”
In WhatsApp groups of CES students in which Brazilian students predominate the climate is one of anticipation of what will happen with Boaventura. Rumors of sexual harassment of students and professors at the institution have been circulating among students for years. The walls of the traditional University of Coimbra have already been smeared with verdicts against the professor. One of the graffiti read: “Out with Boaventura. We all know it.”
This fact inspired the three authors for the title of the article: “The walls spoke when nobody dared”.