03.03.2025 | Text by Rita Alves
Photo: Rita Ansone / Mensagem de Lisboa

CIES-Iscte researcher Thais França has been selected to join the Visiting Professor program at Brown University in the United States, an initiative promoted in partnership with the Luso-American Development Foundation (FLAD).

In the spring semester of 2026, Thais França will teach the course “Portugal: from ‘welcoming’ policy to anti-immigration mobilization”, in which she will analyse the transformations of the Portuguese migratory panorama. The course will address issues such as the colonial legacy, the construction of the national myth of a country open to diversity, migration policies in a post-colonial context, the impact of the media in reproducing stereotypes and the rise of the far right in mobilizing against immigration.

With a PhD in Sociology from the University of Coimbra, Thais França is a researcher at CIES-Iscte, working on migration, mobility, gender studies, social inequalities and post-colonial studies. She is currently Associate Editor of the journal Comparative Migration Studies.

Thais França's appointment reinforces the presence of Portuguese researchers at leading international academic institutions and reflects CIES-Iscte's commitment to excellence in research and teaching.