Deisy De Freitas Lima Ventura

Invited researcher of the 2025 DEA programme | In residence at Maison Suger in September-october 2025

Deisy Ventura holds a PhD in International Law from the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. She is Deputy Director of both the Institute of International Relations and the Doctoral School of Global Health and Sustainable Development at the University of São Paulo. She also serves as the Brazilian coordinator for several international research initiatives, including the SMAPL project and the IRP ALCOM programme.

The project

Title: A Comparative Perspective on COVID-19 Memory Policies in France and Latin America

"Embedded within broader multidisciplinary and multicentric studies on COVID-19 in which I am involved, this research aims to collect information and conduct a critical analysis of memory policies related to COVID-19 in France. To this end, I will adopt a methodological strategy compatible with a short field stay, using an exploratory case study approach. Drawing on qualitative methods—particularly interviews—I will identify key actors involved in promoting the memory of COVID-19 in France and gather insights into their modes of operation, sources of funding, affiliations, and the tensions surrounding their initiatives. This will support an initial classification of COVID-19 memory policies in France, according to their nature, origins, and objectives.

In addition, interviews—especially with experts—will help to address the gaps left by the literature review and preliminary document collection conducted ahead of the fieldwork. The data collected will then be analysed using a framework informed by critical global health studies, focusing on aspects such as the role of the state (including possible involvement of international organisations), the processes that shape these policies, the mechanisms used to engage target audiences, and the forms of participation or initiatives led by vulnerable groups. Attention will also be paid to the presence of evaluation mechanisms, transparency practices, and accountability structures.

Finally, through dialogue with academics, activists, and experts based in France, this preliminary assessment of the French experience—its strengths and limitations—will explore whether it can contribute to the development or refinement of standards for preserving the memory of COVID-19, and to the advancement of comparative research within the ALCOM project or other collaborative frameworks."

Hosting institution: Université Paris 1 - Institut de sciences juridique et philosophique de la Sorbonne (ISJPS)