Mara Pieri, an associate researcher at the Centre for Social Studies of the University of Coimbra (CES-UC), has been awarded an Honourable Mention by the Anne Bolin & Gil Herdt Book Prize for her book “LGBTQ+ People with Chronic Illness. Chroniqueers in Southern Europe” (Palgrave, 2023).

The Anne Bolin & Gil Herdt Book Prize honours books of international significance in the field of sexuality and is awarded by the HSAIG (Human Sexuality & Anthropology Interest Group), with the support of the American Anthropological Association. The Prize and the Honourable Mention will be awarded during the next HSAIG event.

Published in 2023, the book explores the experiences of people with chronic illnesses who identify as LGBTQ+. Based on interviews with young adults in Italy and Portugal, the author draws up an intersectional analysis of what it means to live with invisible illnesses and, at the same time, incorporate LGBTQ+ experiences. In the context of time, care, and (in)visibilities, the stories analysed configure a subjectivity of political relevance, which the author calls ‘Chroniqueers’. The book is the result of a doctoral thesis in Human Rights developed at CES-UC, which was awarded the Controtempo Prize (2021) and the Honourable Mention in the Virgínia Quaresma International Prize in Cultural Studies (2022).

About the recipient

Mara Pieri is an associate researcher at CES-UC. She holds a Master’s degree in Sociology from the University of Trento (Italy) and a PhD in “Human Rights in Contemporary Societies” from CES-UC.

She is currently researching access to health services for the LGBTQ+ population in Portugal in the project  “DIVERS - Diversity and Inclusion in Access to Health”  under the CEEC-FCT (2022-2028). She is a member of the team working on the project “REMEMBER - Experiences of Older LGBTQ People in Democratic Portugal (1974-2020)”. In this context, she scientifically coordinated the Guide “Envelhecer como LGBTQ+ em Portugal. Guia para Profissionais de Saúde e Cuidadores/as” [Ageing as LGBTQ+ in Portugal. Guide for Health Professionals and Carers].

She is a member of the Research Group “Democracy, Justice and Human Rights” and has been a member of the Editorial Board of the journal Revista Crítica de Ciências Sociais since 2024. She is currently Vice-President of the Ethics Committee of the Centre for Social Studies and co-coordinator of the GPS - Sexualities Research Group. Pieri is also a lecturer on the GEDM - Master in Gender Equality and Diversity Management and a facilitator for Masters and PhD programmes. She has published on LGBTQ+ issues, sociology of health and crip studies, with a focus on chronic diseases, (in)visibility and health inequalities. In 2023, she published the book “LGBTQ+ People with Chronic Illness. Chroniqueers in Southern Europe” (Palgrave, 2023). Her recent research interests include: medicalisation; chronic illness and invisible disability; visibility; accessibility; sexualities in Southern Europe; and LGBTQ+ health.