The University of Paris 8 has decided to award an honorary doctorate to Boaventura de Sousa Santos, considering him one of the main figures of the humanities in our time, who stands out as a thinker acclaimed worldwide for his scientific work and commitment to social issues.

The award ceremony of this French public higher education institution will take place on May 4, 2022 and, in this context, between May 2 and 6, a series of workshops and roundtables on «The End of the Cognitive Empire» will be organised at the institution, whose reflection will revolve around the work dedicated by Boaventura de Sousa Santos to the Epistemologies of the South. In these initiatives, besides the award winner, several guests will participate, among which CES researchers, Maria Paula Meneses, João Arriscado Nunes and José Manuel Mendes [Programme HERE]. 

The honoris causa distinction now given to this scholar joins those already conferred by McGill University (Canada), University of Brasília, Federal University of Mato Grosso, Federal University of Sergipe, Federal University of Ouro Preto, University of La Salle, Federal University Rio Grande do Sul, Federal University of Pelotas /Catholic University, State University of Maranhão, Federal University of Pernambuco/ Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (Brazil), Córdoba University and La Plata University (Argentina), Iberoamericana University (Mexico), Coruña University (Spain), Roskilde University (Denmark), Universidad National University of Rosario (Argentina) and University of Costa Rica (Costa Rica), Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (Peru).

Boaventura de Sousa Santos is a full Professor of Sociology of Law at Yale University, Professor Emeritus of the Faculty of Economics of the University of Coimbra and Distinguished Legal Scholar at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He was also a global legal scholar at the University of Warwick and visiting professor at Birkbeck College, University of London. He coordineted the research project ALICE - ALICE - Strange Mirrors, Unsuspected Lessons: leading Europe towards a new way of sharing experiences, a project funded by the European Research Council (ERC), one of the most prestigious and competitive international grants for excellent scientific research in Europe.

He is Emeritus Director of the Centre for Social Studies at the University of Coimbra (CES-UC) and scientific coordinator of the Permanent Observatory of Justice (OPJ).