Susana de Noronha
Susana de Noronha is a Portuguese anthropologist, PhD in sociology, and researcher at the Center for Social Studies at the University of Coimbra. In addition to her research, she works as an invited assistant professor at the Department of Sociology of the Institute of Social Sciences at the University of Minho.
She is a founding member of AIDA - Social Sciences Research Network on Artificial Intelligence, Data, and Algorithms. Additionally, she holds the position of Portuguese ambassador for The Association for the Study of Death and Society, based in the United Kingdom. Previously, she held the position of coordinator of the Center for Studies on Science, Economy, and Society and was a member of the Permanent Committee of the Scientific Council of CES.
Concentrating at the crossroads of art, science, and technology studies, she has been exploring medical anthropology and anthropology of art and material culture. Her work, which is qualitative and interdisciplinary in nature, centers on experiences, narratives, and technologies related to health and illness, along with other material aspects. Presently, she is intrigued by collaborations among science, art, and communities, investigating the impact of artificial intelligence on the narratives we construct and the realities we shape. Besides her academic pursuits, she is also an illustrator, a practice that influences her academic work. Additionally, she is a poet and lyricist, with work published in three albums, one EP, and four compilations of Portuguese music.
Contributions and research
Author of three research monographs, book chapters, and scientific articles, exploring representations of illness, technologies, and biomedical materialities in visual arts, she pioneered the study of art and material culture of oncological illness in Portugal, her field of work since 2005. Recognized for her dozens of published scientific illustrations, she is responsible for introducing a new methodology called creative ethnographic drawing, revitalizing this practice through the use of metaphor and imagination, expanding the forms of production within the social sciences. Her work has already earned her several invitations to universities and appearances in the national media.
Published work
''A Tinta, a Mariposa e a Metástase: a Arte como Experiência, Conhecimento e Ação sobre o Cancro de Mama''
In her first work, published in 2009, the researcher analyzes and comments on 24 artistic projects produced by women, all related to the female experience of breast cancer. The author approaches art as an integral part of the lived experience of the disease, exploring how it shapes how cancer is experienced, understood, and faced. From diagnosis to surgical experiences, Noronha portrays how art is used as a tool of expression by women facing cancer. Through a variety of artistic forms, including photography, painting, drawing, sculpture, and collage, the author demonstrates how art can be a form of knowledge and intervention, both individually and collectively. By blending empirical, biomedical, and social knowledge, the artists redefine the experience of cancer as a socially constructed reality, beyond the traditional medical perspective.
''Objetos Feitos de Cancro - Mulheres, Cultura Material e Doença nas Estórias da Arte''
In her second work, published in 2015, the author investigated the material culture of oncological illness, examining the materialities present in artistic projects created by or with women who have experienced cancer. The author explores how hospital, household, and personal objects intertwine with different stages of the disease, from diagnosis to death. By considering a wide range of artistic forms, including photography, painting, drawing, collage, modeling, sculpture, and sewing, Noronha illustrates how illness manifests as a modular experience, while objects exist and act as embeddable realities within that context. This theoretical and methodological approach continues to depict the intersection between art, illness, and material culture.
''Cancro Sobre Papel: estórias de oito mulheres portuguesas entre palavra falada, arte e ciência escrita''
In the final piece of her trilogy, published in 2019, Susana de Noronha gathers experiences and stories from eight Portuguese women with cancer, utilizing a qualitative, intersubjective, and transdisciplinary approach. Integrating knowledge of the body, spoken word, creative writing, photography, drawing, and painting, this project seeks an ontological, epistemological, and performative understanding of art as an integral part of the cancer experience. The researcher reflects on the elements that shape women's experiences, combining text and image to create an illustrated social science that enhances the impact and public outcomes of the research.
Artistic career
Susana de Noronha's artistic journey began in childhood, where drawing people, objects, and events became an integral part of her life. Throughout adolescence, as a student of art and design, her sketchbooks were filled with intricate representations of eyes, faces, hands, and trees, each serving as central themes reflecting her evolving artistic style. Drawing essentially became a defining aspect of her identity and potential. Transitioning into her career as an anthropologist, Susana de Noronha integrated her creative skills into her academic pursuits, reshaping traditional notions of social sciences, scientific illustration, and ethnographic drawing. Far from being just a complement to her professional activities, art formed the foundation of her research methodology. Although she may not identify as an artist in the traditional sense, she sees herself as a social scientist who uses art as a means to both understand and engage with her subjects of study. In her academic work, Susana de Noronha has produced a diverse variety of illustrations, each one imbued with metaphor and imagination, enriching the discourse within her field. These illustrations serve as visual narratives, complementing and enhancing the written content of essays, articles, and book chapters. In her artistic career, she has also produced poems and lyrics, writing various songs for the projects At Freddy’s House and Pyroscaphe.