On the 29th of March, I had the opportunity to teach a session on legal research methods for the capacity-building course organised by the Center for Studies on the Law of the Sea at the University of São Paulo (CEDMAR/USP).
It was a privilege to contribute to this initiative, and I am grateful to CEDMAR, Wagner Menezes, Paulo Henrique Reis de Oliveira, and Barbara Mourão Sachett for the invitation — and to the students for their warm welcome.
I often feel a strong sense of responsibility to share what little I’ve learned — through research, legal practice, and in navigating academic spaces as a researcher from the Third World/Global South.
I’m far from being successful, but I believe it matters to share what I can — especially with others trying to find a foothold in spaces where we remain underrepresented.
Academia is a difficult environment, all the more so when shaped by structural inequality and the realities of coming from a region where opportunities have long been limited.
I hope to continue contributing, even in small ways, to building bridges and to making this path less isolating for others.
Henrique Marcos 