Professor of Sociology, University of Porto

João Teixeira Lopes

He graduated in Sociology from the Faculty of Arts at the University of Porto (1992) and earned an MA in Social Science from the Instituto de Ciências Sociais at the University of Lisbon (1995), with the dissertation Tristes Escolas: Um estudo sobre práticas culturais estudantis no espaço escolar urbano (Porto, Edições Afrontamento, 1997). He earned a Ph. D. in Sociology of Culture and Education (1999), with the thesis A Cidade e a Cultura: Um estudo sobre práticas culturais urbanas (Porto, Edições Afrontamento, 2000). He was a full member of the Observatory of Cultural Activity from 1996 to 1998, which he continues to work with. He was a part of the team that coordinated the Report on National Cultural Policies (1985-1995) that was presented to the Council of Europe in 1998, titled As Políticas Culturais em Portugal (Observatório das Actividades Culturais, 1998). He was one of the cultural programmers behind Porto European Capital of Culture 2001, having been in charge of population outreach and a member of the original team that submitted the proposal to the Council of Europe. He was elected for parliament as a Bloco de Esquerda MP (2002-2006). He was scientific coordinator of the Institute of Sociology at the University of Porto’s Faculty of Arts from 2002 to 2010. He was editor of the journal Sociologia from 2009 to 2013. He has written 23 books (either as coauthor or as sole author) on the sociology of culture, cities, youth and education, as well as on museology and territorial studies. On the 29th of May, 2014, he was awarded the Chevalier des Palmes Académiques order by the French government. He is vice-chairman of the Portuguese Sociological Association.