News | INET-md thesis is a trailblazer in the use of non-binary language

On 23 January, Sér Vales (INET-md/NOVA FCSH) defended his master's thesis in Musical Sciences with the title O que pode um corpo sem juízo? Opacidade, êxtase e resistência através da experiência musical coletiva numa rave queer em Lisboa, supervised by Marco Roque de Freitas (INET-md) and co-supervised by Paula Gomes-Ribeiro (CESEM).

It is one of the first theses in the country to be written using non-binary language and represents an important milestone in the promotion of inclusive practices and discourses, at a time when NOVA University Lisbon is publishing its Guide to the use of inclusive language, drawn up in partnership with the Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality.

The dissertation was evaluated on January 23, 2025 by a jury consisting of João Soeiro de Carvalho (Full Professor at NOVA FCSH), Sofia Aboim (Principal Investigator at ICS), Manuel Garcia-Ruíz (Assistant Researcher at ISCTE), and Marco Roque de Freitas (Integrated Researcher at INET-md), receiving a grade of 19 out of 20.

Currently, Sér Vales pursues a promising path towards a PhD in Musical Sciences at NOVA FCSH (with a scholarship of FCT), where they are developing new research with significant relevance to INET-md's thematic line dedicated to Studies in Women, Gender and Sexuality, titled Queering the musical nation: Sexual dissidence and aesthetic subversion in traditional-inspired music in Galicia, under the supervision of Marco Roque de Freitas (INET-md) and co-supervision of Iñigo Sánchez-Fuarros (CSIC).

We wish Sér Vales much success in this new phase of their academic journey, confident that their work will continue to inspire and contribute significantly to studies on music and political resistance.