Julia F. Sauma

Julia F. Sauma is a Brazilian-Londoner deaf/Hard of Hearing Lecturer in Anthropology at Goldsmiths, University of London. Her work focuses on collective life within extractive structures, with a particular emphasis on Amazonian Quilombo communities in Brazil and diasporic experiences. She holds a PhD from UCL (2014) and an MA from Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (2007). Key roles include teaching modules like Approaches to Contemporary Anthropology and supervising PhD projects on ecology, embodiment, and intersectional themes.

Her research interests span ecology, land rights, disability studies, and the intersections of race, gender, and kinship. She collaborates with activist groups to explore joyful collective refuges and has pioneered auto-ethnographic methods addressing deafness and academic inclusion. Notable projects include the ERC-funded Extort: Anthropologies of Extortion (PI: Lucia Michelutti) and participatory works like Antiphonic Multibeing (2019).

Her publications critique academic systems through works like Performing Normal (2024) and explore decolonial methodologies in Ruptures (2019). She engages in cross-disciplinary practices including performance art and policy-oriented research on early childhood development in Brazil.

Current research emphasizes multi-modal methodologies and the body as a research tool, reflecting her commitment to inclusive, embodied knowledge production.