Judite Primo

Judite Primo is a full Professor in the Department of Museology at Lusófona University, Lisbon, where she has served continuously since 2000. She currently coordinates the UNESCO Chair - ULusófona Education, Citizenship and Cultural Diversity and leads the Sociomuseology publication collection. Her institutional leadership includes former roles as Deputy Director of the Master's in Museology (2001-2007), Director of the Department of Museology (2007-2019), and Coordinator of both Master's and Doctoral programs in Museology during the same period.

Her academic formation features:

• Bachelor's in Museology from Federal University of Bahia (1996)
• Specialisation in Social Museology at Universidade Lusófona (1998)
• Master's in Museology with dissertation on Eco Museology's influence on Portuguese Local Museology (2000)
• PhD in Educational Sciences from Universidade Portucalense focusing on Public Cultural Policies in Museology

Primo's research centers on sociomuseology as a critical framework for reimagining museums' social roles. She pioneers decolonial and intersectional approaches that challenge traditional museum hierarchies through community engagement, gender analysis, and Paulo Freire-inspired critical pedagogy. Her work consistently examines how museums can become sites of social transformation, particularly regarding cultural diversity, citizenship, and postcolonial discourse. This manifests in practical applications like participatory museum design and decolonial pedagogical frameworks that empower marginalized communities.

Analysis of her 15 most recent publications (2021-2023) reveals three dominant thematic clusters: (1) Decolonial reinterpretations of museum theory through gender and body politics, (2) Critical applications of sociomuseology in citizenship education and cultural diversity, and (3) Practical implementations of participatory methods in community museums. A notable evolution appears from theoretical foundations toward actionable decolonial pedagogy, particularly in her AGRRIN project exploring 'generative bodies' in resistance movements.

As an academic mentor, Primo has supervised numerous graduate students through her coordination of Master's and Doctoral programs in Museology. Her research is substantially funded by major grants including the FCT project 'Theory and Practice of Sociomuseology' (CEECIND/04717/2017; 2019-2025), the AGRRIN project (FCT.2022.06269.PTDC, 2023-2025), and European collaborations like HIGHRES (2023-2025) and ECOHERITAGE (2020-2023).

She actively contributes to international research networks including the International Movement for a New Museology (MINOM-ICOM), International Council of Museums, and Rede de Docentes e Cientistas do Campo da Museologia, where she shapes global discourse on socially engaged museology.