Dr Marcus De Matos
Senior Lecturer in Law

Summary

Marcus V. A. B. de Matos is a Senior Lecturer in the Division of Public and International Law, which he joined in July 2021.

Dr De Matos is currently a Visiting Professor (CAPES Print) at the National School of Law in the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). He holds a PhD in Law from Birkbeck, University of London, fully funded by a CAPES Foundation Overseas Scholarship (0999-12-1), a MRes in Human Rights and a Bachelor’s degree in Law from UFRJ. He is an Honorary Member at the Institute of Brazilian Lawyers (IAB), and has previously been a Guest Lecturer at the State Attorney’s Office (PGE/RJ) Professional Postgraduate School, where he used to teach Legal Theory classes in the Public Law Programme. Before joining Brunel he was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the National School of Law in the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), funded by the Brazilian National Council of Research (CNPq). Previously he was Director of Teaching Programmes at the Judicial School in the High Labour Courts in Rio de Janeiro (TRT/RJ); Advisor to the State Secretariat for Human Rights in Rio de Janeiro (SEASDH); Visiting Researcher at the Institute for Social Sciences (ICS) in the University of Lisbon; Associate Tutor at Birkbeck College; and Part-time teacher at the London School of Economics (LSE).

His research interests broadly revolve around Public Law, Legal Theory, Law & Humanities and Human Rights & Public Policy. His research offers an innovative approach of the notion of sovereignty, moving beyond the indeterminacy and agonism of legal and state forms to demonstrate the limits and the links between modern law and the aesthetic construction of the subject. He has lately been engaged in two research projects: an investigation on human rights & religion, a memory and truth project focusing on Christian leaders who were arrested and persecuted during the Brazilian Military Dictatorship (1964-1985), and currently funded by a BRIEF Award; and "Living Avatars," an interdisciplinary project studing digital avatars and funded by the Brunel Research Interdisciplinary Lab (BRIL). 

His most recent book is the Award-Winner monograph “Imagens da América Latina: mídia, cultura e direitos humanos” (winner of the ABEU Prize as best monograph published in 2021). Among his recent publications on Human Rights & Religion are: the Open Acces journal article "Christ and the Brazilian Revolutionary Process: religion, politics, human rights" (Journal of Social Rights and Public Policy, 2022);  the journal article "When the rooster insists on crowing: church, state and human rights in contemporary Brazil" (Journal of Latin American Theology, 2020); and a blog post to Critical Legal Thinking: "Jesus fights back: Easter torture & Reverse racism".

He has been awarded an Honourable Mention by José Bonifácio Academic Foundation (FUJB) and has been the recipient of several grants by academic and government funding bodies such as the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities, the Brazilian Ministry of Education, the Brazilian Ministry of Science and Technology, the National Secretariat of Human Rights (SDH), and the Harvard Institute for Global Law and Policy (IGLP). Dr De Matos has worked as a researcher and consultant proving academic and legal advice to third sector organisations such as the Institute for the Study of Religion (ISER), World Vision, Tearfund, and Rede FALE. He currently collaborates with Peace and Hope Brazil and is a founding member of RECAP - a popular legal network that freely provides legal & advocacy support for individuals and organizations on pressing human rights cases in Brazil. He is also a board member of the Brazilian Association of Academics and Students in the UK (ABEP-UK).

He is the recepient of the BRIEF Award 2023/2024, and of the HE Connects grant by the British Council. 

He tweets in Portuguese and English from @mvdematos.

Qualifications

• PhD in Law, Birkbeck, University of London
• MRes in Human Rights and Arts, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ)
• Bachelor in Law, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ)

Responsibility

• Brunel Law School Deputy Director of Equality and Diversity 
• International and External Partnerships (Brazil & South America)
• International and External Partnerships (United States of America)
• Member of the Brunel Regional Working Group for the Americas
• Co-leader of the Human Rights, Society and Arts Research Group
• Co-leader of the Living Avatars Research Group
• Journal reviewer at Law and Critique
• Journal reviewer at Law and History Review (CUP)
• Journal reviewer at Revista Direitos Fundamentais e Justiça (QUALIS A1)
• Journal reviewer at História: Questões & Debates

Former: 

• Brunel Law School Research Seminar Series Convenor (2022-2023)
• Public Law Module Convenor (2022-2023)
• Member of the Senior Tutor Team (2021-2023)
• Editor at Birkbeck Law Review