Each year a small portion of AoIR conference fees go toward several Kelly Quinn Travel Scholarships for junior scholars to attend the conference. We want to recognize our scholarship recipients and share with you a little bit about them and their research interests.
Who are you?
My name is Mariana Scalabrin Müller, and I am a Brazilian living in Portugal. I am currently an independent researcher and freelancer. I am passionate about culture, especially literature, and I am working on two personal projects related to it: a book club and a newsletter.
Where are you from?
I grew up in the southernmost state of Brazil, in a small city (by Brazilian standards!) called Cruz Alta. I later moved to the state capital to pursue my undergraduate studies, where I also worked as a journalist and completed my master’s degree. In 2016, I was awarded a PhD scholarship and moved to Lisbon, Portugal. Since 2021, I have been living in Porto, in the north of the country, where I have worked at two different universities.
What is your current area of study?
My research lies at the intersection of journalism, technology, and cultural studies, exploring the connections between media, culture, and diversity. I am particularly interested in cultural and artistic expressions and how they engage with media in its various forms. With a background in cultural studies, my analyses address gender issues, stereotypes, and postcolonial and decolonial perspectives.
Describe the research you will present at AoIR2025.
I will present the paper “Framing a Brazilian Singer and Activist: Asymmetries Between Portuguese Cultural Coverage and TikTok”, co-authored with Davide Gravato. The study examines how Linn da Quebrada, a Brazilian singer and queer activist, is portrayed in the Portuguese newspaper Público and on TikTok. From a decolonial perspective, we highlight how colonial legacies shape media narratives between Brazil and Portugal, revealing asymmetries: while Público often frames her as a trans/feminist icon, TikTok presents a broader range of content, from performances and interviews to reality show appearances and even user hate speech.
Have you presented at AoIR in the past? If so, what was your experience? If #AoIR2025 in Niterói is your first AoIR conference, what made you choose this conference? What do you expect from it?
I have been following the work published at AoIR for some time, but I will be participating for the first time in 2025. Beyond the quality, relevance, and diversity of the research, I appreciate that AoIR is structured as a network that extends beyond the conferences themselves. I imagine this also shapes the conference experience. In addition, the association’s initiatives, such as the Kelly Quinn Travel Scholarship, are a distinctive feature and enable young researchers and those from outside Europe to contribute in a meaningful way. For all these reasons, I look forward to an environment that is open to dialogue, fosters valuable collaborations and learning, and creates lasting memories in Brazil.
