Paulo Novais / Lusa
Boaventura de Sousa Santos
Teacher continues to deny any crime. He does not remember whether his pyropos were directed at students in Coimbra.
The case was reported in April 2023: the Coimbra Social Studies Center began sexual and moral harassment. One of the “targets” is Boaventura Sousa Santosthe teacher who has always denied any crime.
Practically two years later, Boaventura gave his first interview and continues to reject the crimes.
“I never had contactnone of these people may invoke having had physical or intimate contact with me. They talk about sexual harassment because sexual harassment is what they sell. ”
“My reputation is international. If they wanted to get away, they had to do it with a crash,” he continued.
But admits: “I made mistakes, but they were not like that”.
The sociologist, as two years ago, re-based on the age factor (84 years old): “Any man my age Let it say that, in the 1960s or 1970s, did not do a piropo or a gallant to a woman, or is liar, or it is hypocrite ”.
It also assures that the women of their generation like it: “Any woman of this agewhich also at that time – 60s, 70s or 80s – received a piropo and a gallant and never liked it is lying or hypocritical”, Commented on.
According to the teacher, among the piropos that women like to hear are “you are beautiful, you are well dressed, such a thing.”
But its compliments were directed to Students? Boaventura Sousa Santos do not you remember.
The teacher repeats that never promised advantages investigators and that Never had an unwanted behavior by women At issue, “No, they never expressed it. On the contrary.”
And rejects touches in genital areas: “It’s absolutely ridiculous. I have proximity logic with all people. We Latinos are not Calvinists, We hug. This attitude of proximity and conviviality has always existed. I had dinner with my students, always in the public domain. ”
In some of these convivials, he reports, while discussing poetry, a Woman sat at her lap, another put her hand on her leg of the teacher: “I did not feel harassed.”
Boaventura in this case a “script that comes from other countries, especially from (movement) #Metoo – which is my big problem, can to undermine the importance of the feminist movementwhich is extraordinary. ”
Ensures that soon, they will emerge evidence that deny the version of women who presented the complaints.
“Not exclusive that had irregularities at the Center for Social Studies of Coimbra, But it wasn’t me who committed them!”.
The sociologist thinks that the women that denounce it were privileged – They were in projects funded by the European Union, “made a lot of money.” But, he says, he doesn’t even know some of the 13 women in question: “I worked with four or five.”
Boaventura reinforces that this situation only arose due to “a set of interests external and internal. I am an uncomfortable thinker, a critical intellectual, uncomfortable. It would be an easy target to attack. ”
