Publications
Shared Heritage Risk in the Blue Amazon. Gamboa de Baixo Project Retrofit
A groundbreaking discovery reveals the 1831 LPM, a pivotal legal instrument for marine land demarcation in Brazil's Gamboa de Baixo area, within Salvador da Bahia's Historic Centre (CHS). This study highlights the dual threats of real estate speculation and high-end nautical tourism development to the site's integrity, while also exploring its contested heritage status. The research employs a multifaceted approach, combining fieldwork, bibliographical reviews, secondary sources, legislation, and topographies to analyze historical, legal, and technical contexts. By proposing a 'retrofit' strategy, the study aims to mitigate risks that undermine the site's protection, offering a model for safeguarding UNESCO World Heritage Sites facing similar challenges.
Afrotourism in Brazilian World Heritage sites: challenges and opportunities emphasising a decolonial narrative
Afrotourism emerges as a transformative force in Brazilian UNESCO World Heritage Sites, challenging dominant colonial narratives by centering Afro-descendant cultural references. This study reveals that such sites—including Salvador de Bahia’s historic center and Cais do Valongo’s archaeological remains—serve as arenas for symbolic struggles to recognize Afro-Brazilian heritage, both tangible and intangible. By adopting a decolonial lens, the research demonstrates how Afrotourism can reshape heritage discourses, amplifying local community roles in reclaiming memory and cultural assets. The findings underscore the potential of Afrotourism to disrupt hegemonic narratives while highlighting its challenges, particularly in balancing preservation with inclusive representation.
Promoting “Cultural Rights” for Inhabitants of Segregated Neighbourhoods in Cape Town, Salvador de Bahia, and Toulouse. From “Cultural Insurrection” to Epistemic Action
Cultural movements in segregated neighborhoods of Cape Town, Salvador de Bahia, and Toulouse demonstrate significant potential to challenge institutional resistance and reshape resource redistribution models. Despite facing similar forms of inflexibility from public authorities, these movements employ convergent strategies that are both political and entrepreneurial, effectively promoting the cultural expressions of racialized and ethnicized groups. This international comparison highlights how cultural activists can shift paradigms to favor marginalized voices, offering a model for broader cultural democratization.
Fatores demográficos e socioambientais associados à insegurança alimentar domiciliar nos diferentes territórios da cidade de Salvador, Bahia, Brasil
Food insecurity affects 41% of households in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, with prevalence varying significantly across urban macrozones—ranging from 26% on the Atlantic Coast to 48% in the Core. Key factors such as low education levels (≤4 years), low per capita income (up to half the minimum wage), and poor perception of urban environment quality are strongly associated with both mild and moderate/severe food insecurity, particularly in socially vulnerable areas. This study, based on a large-scale survey (15,171 households) from 2018–2020, used multinomial logistic regression to reveal that social vulnerability factors exacerbate food insecurity, though their impact differs by territory. These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions addressing socio-environmental disparities to mitigate food insecurity in urban settings.
Movimento Negro in Salvador de Bahia: an alliance between things
The Movimento Negro in Salvador de Bahia emerges as a hyperobject and multispecies assemblage, challenging local systems of meaning and modern epistemological paradigms. Fieldwork revealed that racism and resistance are materially manifest in bodies, spaces, and objects, reflecting the struggle among economic and racial groups. This study highlights the centrality of the material and sensitive dimensions in understanding the Movimento Negro's role as a force of cultural and political struggle against structural racism.
Usages de l’espace, positionnement social et dimensions raciales : le cas des immigrés français de Salvador de Bahia (Brésil)
French immigrants in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, navigate a socially stratified urban landscape marked by racial and postcolonial dynamics. Despite Salvador's rich Afro-Brazilian influences and its status as the city with the highest proportion of self-identified Black population in Brazil, French immigrants experience spatial segregation akin to other Brazilian metropolises. This study reveals that their residential choices and urban resource usage reflect heterogeneous social perceptions, shaped by their European origins and the legacy of colonialism. The research employs anthropological methods to analyze their living spaces and interactions, offering insights into how these immigrants position themselves within Salvador's complex socio-economic and racial framework.
Fenologia reprodutiva e vegetativa de três espécies ocorrentes em uma área de restinga urbana em Salvador, Bahia, Brasil
Three woody plant species—Byrsonima microphylla, Chamaecrista ramosa, and Vellozia dasypus—in Salvador de Bahia’s urban restinga exhibit distinct reproductive and vegetative phenological patterns. B. microphylla and C. ramosa display continuous flowering and fruiting, while V. dasypus shows an annual explosive pattern with intermediate synchrony levels. These species are perennial, and their fenophases do not correlate with abiotic factors. Notably, B. microphylla and C. ramosa provide simultaneous floral and fruit resources year-round, supporting pollinators and frugivores in this seasonally dynamic ecosystem.
Survey of Slum Housing Characteristics Using Drones: An Experiment in the Alto das Pombas Community, Salvador de Bahia/Brazil
Drone-based photogrammetry offers a low-cost, rapid solution for gathering detailed urbanistic data on slum housing, as demonstrated in a study of the Alto das Pombas community in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil. The research found that drone surveys could effectively identify and quantify precarious housing structures, prioritizing them for health improvement interventions. By processing aerial imagery, the study extracted key physical characteristics of households, providing actionable insights for municipal programs aimed at upgrading slum infrastructure under Brazil's Federal Technical Assistance Law. This approach holds promise for scalable implementation in other informal settlements.
Distanciamento social e condições de vida na pandemia COVID-19 em Salvador-Bahia, Brasil
Higher social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with more favorable living conditions in Salvador, Bahia. This study identified significant spatial disparities in adherence to containment measures, with wealthier neighborhoods exhibiting greater compliance. Using an ecological approach, researchers calculated Social Distancing and Living Conditions Indices, applying Global and Local Moran Indices to assess spatial autocorrelation. Findings underscore the need for tailored pandemic mitigation strategies that account for local vulnerability profiles, particularly in impoverished areas, to improve adherence and social equity.
Geotermobarometria de safirina e granada granulito do afloramento da Praia da Paciência, Salvador, Bahia – Cinturão Salvador-Esplanada-Boquim
Researchers have identified ultra-high-temperature metamorphism conditions in the Historic Centre of Salvador de Bahia, marking the first such discovery in the Salvador-Esplanada-Boquim Belt. The study analyzed garnet granulite and sapphirine granulite from the Praia da Paciência outcrop, revealing peak metamorphic conditions of approximately 1.04 GPa and 1,015°C for garnet granulite, with sapphirine granulite indicating stability up to ~1,030°C. These findings suggest a post-peak metamorphism trajectory involving near-isothermal decompression, providing insights into the geological history of the region. The research utilized geothermobarometry and pseudosection analysis to characterize mineral compositions and phase relationships, contributing new understanding to the tectonic evolution of the Cráton do São Francisco.
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