You are warmly invited to the upcoming LSTS GLT Session, which will take place on Tuesday 10 February, from 12:30 to 13:30 CET, in Room C4.09 and online. The talk will be delivered in person by Danielle Fernandes (from RHEA, VUB) and is titled “Creative Methods as an Epistemic Practice for Studying Sexual Harassment”.
Danielle Fernandes is a doctoral researcher working at the intersections of sexual wellbeing, sexual violence prevention, and health equity. As an impact-focused scholar-practitioner, she uses creative and participatory methods to develop community-centred interventions. Her PhD research explores migrant and minority women’s experiences of sexual harassment in public spaces, with the aim of informing survivor-centred, community-led policy and practice.
In her presentation, she will discuss how creative, play-based methods are used in her research to explore lived experiences of sexual harassment. She will reflect on how play and creativity can make these conversations more accessible, and how they shape the kinds of reflections that emerge, supporting participants in making sense of experiences that are often difficult to name. Her work suggests that these approaches function as epistemic tools, enabling participants to co-construct meaning collectively while also disrupting dominant frameworks for defining and recognising sexual harassment. The playful format has also shifted discussions from a purely harm-focused frame toward a more care-focused one.
The talk connects to broader questions about how “violence” and “harassment” are normatively understood, and how these understandings travel into legal and policy frameworks. Legal scholars and others interested in these questions are especially encouraged to attend.