About Me
My name is Italo Alves, and I am a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro and a Researcher at the Fundação Getúlio Vargas Centre for Global Law. I hold a PhD in Philosophy from Loyola University Chicago, as well as degrees in Law and Political Philosophy (for details, see my CV).
My areas of interest are Social and Political Theory and Aesthetics, especially where both intersect. My dissertation, The Social Aesthetics of Recognition, argues that expressive modes of social action can raise normative claims for recognition. I have written on social and political philosophy and critical theory. My work has been supported by the Newcombe Foundation, the DAAD, Mitacs, Canada’s Global Affairs, and Brazil’s CNPq, among others.
I am a member of the Society for Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy (SPEP) and the American Philosophical Association (APA). I have held visiting research and study positions at Concordia University of Edmonton, Carleton University, Université de Montréal, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, and the Centre Marc Bloch in Berlin.
I studied Art History for about two years. In addition to Brazil, I have also lived in Canada, Germany, and the US. I have a Warburgian interest in the relations between high and popular culture in everyday life, and I have written a few articles on this topic (they can be found on my blog). I am the co-editor of Revista Porto Alegre, an online cultural review that publishes book reviews, interviews, and articles on arts and humanities. I like to swim.
News
Currently…
Here is a list of things I am currently reading and listening to.
Forthcoming Conferences
I will be presenting at the I Conferência Internacional Dialéticas at UCS, in Caxias do Sul, which will take place on October 7–9, 2026. My work will discuss some issues with Christoph Menke’s Theory of Liberation.
Contact
ialves[at]luc.edu
