From September this year, Djamila Ribeiro will be teaching at New York University. The invitation was extended last year. On Instagram, the Brazilian philosopher shared more about the news.

“I was invited by the university to assume the Andrés Bello Chair in Latin American Cultures and Civilizations in the fall of 2024! Starting in September, I’ll be teaching here, initially for one semester. With everything a professor here is entitled to: housing, a decent salary, a room, time to study. ‘Lugar de fala’ (‘Where we stand: Speech, Place, Justice’) will already be published in English and it will be a great joy to teach with a work already edited in English.”

On her social media profile, Djamila emotionally reflected on her journey.

“I completed my undergraduate degree at 32, defended my dissertation at 35, published my first book at 37, spoke at the UN General Assembly at 42, started the process to get my driver’s license at 43, and in September 2024, at 44, I will be a professor at NYU. I have never lived outside the country; one of my father’s dreams was to pay for a study abroad program, which was never possible for us. However, he made sure that my siblings and I learned English, as visionary as he was. It was with that English that I got here. I was 30 when I took my first international trip. It’s cliché, but a movie really plays in my head, and I make this post deeply moved. Djavan (Brazilian singer) sang, only I know the deserts I crossed.”

She also expressed her gratitude for all the support she has received.

“I thank the Orixás [deities in Afro-Brazilian religions] for everything, for opening the paths and for protection, my family for unconditional support, my friends for always holding my hand. I thank all the people who supported me on this journey. And I also thank myself for not giving up, paraphrasing Mario Quintana (Brazilian writer), for being a bird when they tried to block my paths.”

Djamila concluded the post quoting the great Milton Nascimento (Brazilian singer-songwriter): “Dreams don’t age.”

Inaugural Lecture

In November of last year, Djamila delivered the inaugural lecture for the “Christopher Mitchell Distinguished Lectures Series,” which was highly successful with a waiting list.

Andrés Bello Chair in Latin American Cultures and Civilizations

Officially inaugurated in December 2001, the Chair honors one of the greatest political and intellectual figures of the American hemisphere, the Venezuelan-born humanist, poet, scholar, diplomat, and public intellectual Andrés Bello (1781-1865).

Andrés Bello is also remembered as the founder of the University of Chile and a great promulgator Chile’s Civil Code. The Chair allows the King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center to bring to NYU leading scholars of Latin American culture as visiting professors and researchers, and to support conferences and public lectures centered on the Andrés Bello Professorship.

In addition to being a significant academic resource, the Andrés Bello Chair reflects NYU’s commitment to promoting interdisciplinary research and teaching on the contemporary cultures and civilizations of Latin America.