Pedro Fidalgo, TRACE’s Research Manager, presented at the IABA European Conference – Life Writing and Social Transformation, held from July 23 to 26, 2025, at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Coimbra.

Pedro presented his paper titled “The Need to Flee and the Will to Come Back: An Agroqueer Autoethnography” in the panel “Representing Queer Lives” alongside Mrunmayee Sathye (University of Tübingen, Germany), Marcelo Fornari López (Barcelona University, Spain) and Iuri Garcia Lopes, (Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal). The panel was chaired by Sérgio Barcellos (IABA/UERJ, Brasil).

Rooted in (auto)biography and life writing, the paper draws on the author’s experience as a queer person born in rural Portugal and his mobility trajectories. This agroqueer autoethnography speaks to the broader realities of rural queer life, often overlooked in Queer Studies. This contribution challenges urban-centred narratives and explores the ways rural queer lives are shaped not only by hetero-cisnormativity but also by ruralism and metronormativity.

Full Programme: https://www.ces.uc.pt/ficheiros2/files/Booklet%20-%20IABA%20Coimbra%202025%20-%20v6.pdf