João Manuel de Oliveira

Teorias feministas e representações sociais: desafios dos conhecimentos situados para a psicologia social

This paper aims at analysing the contribution of feminist theories for the epistemology and methodological practices of the social sciences, namely of social psychology. Departing from the presentation of Third Wave feminist proposals and from the dialogical epistemology of social representations, we discuss the possibilities for a conceptualisation based on situated knowledges, for the development of emancipatory scientific knowledges. Hence, we will debate the way how situated knowledges and the challenges they pose can change scientific praxis in social psychology and in social sciences.

The workings of homonormativity: lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer discourses on discrimination and public displays of affections in Portugal.

This article analyzes how heteronormative discourse may be (re)produced by the very same people it serves to oppress, binding heteronormativity to a specific form of homonormativity. Furthermore, this article also links Portuguese history and society by discussing the context and the recent legal changes that led to legislation providing for same-sex marriage. Using thematic analysis of 14 interviews, this article demonstrates how heteronorms are upheld in the discourses of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ) participants. Themes linked to public displays of affection and discrimination emerged from the interviews. Participant discourses are analyzed in terms of their incorporation of heteronorms. Homonormativity is present in both the themes subject to analysis. Analysis of the interviews shows how transgressing the heteronorm implies costs and is ultimately perceived as a personal risk. This article concludes that the lack of discursive resistance denies the possibility of re-signification and subversion even in LGBQ discourses. This clearly indicates the pervasiveness of discourses reiterating heteronorms, even those issued by those most oppressed by such norms.

Present but Un-named: Feminist Liberation Psychology in Portugal

In this article, we intend to show the paradox of Portuguese feminist liberation psychology, a discipline that is present inside the practical domain of social interventions, but remains unnamed. We aim to reveal examples of the few practices of feminist liberation psychology that exist in Portugal in order to inscribe them into the academic field. This article emphasizes some experiences from one grassroots movement that could be considered feminist psychology and liberation-psychology practices. Using a historical background, we focus on Portuguese social-political aspects including the feminist movement. Then, through a case study, we explore the grassroots movement Graal, whose projects were very influenced by the writings of Paulo Freire, on pedagogy of liberation. The concern with liberating oppressed groups is visible through the work of the Graal and shows the importance of collective action through conscientization.

Feminist lesbians or lesbian feminists? Portuguese lesbians speak out

Lesbian feminism emerged in the 1970s, in the United States, confronting the feminist movement with the heterosexist assumptions that continued to oppress women and that remained uncriticized by the movement (Echols, 2003). For lesbian feminism, lesbianism is thought of as an inherently political identity (Kitzinger and Wilkinson, 1993). Monique Wittig (1981) claimed that lesbians were beyond the gender system and they could not be defined as women, a simultaneously gendered and heterosexual category. These theoretical perspectives were an important part of feminism and feminist activism which made a decisive contribution to rethinking sexuality as a socially constructed political arena, where issues of power and oppression are constantly at stake. While in some countries in the occidental world (like the UK, Germany, France), lesbian feminist groups questioned the link between hegemonic heterosexuality (Butler, 1993) and women’s oppression, in others this issue remained undiscussed until the emergence of the LGBT movement. This was the case in Portugal. Feminism in Portugal has dealt with some obstacles to becoming inscribed in the public sphere (Oliveira, Neves, Nogueira and Koning, 2009). Recent scholarship has highlighted the persistent difficulties, namely the permanence of old gender ideologies (Amâncio and Oliveira, 2006), as a factor that has hampered feminist

Interactions of rules and routines: Re-thinking rules

PurposeThis paper addresses the extant and arguably excessive focus on routines in management accounting research, and a relative neglect of rules. It seeks to advance our understanding of how rules and routines may interact, in the technology-enabled context of management accounting and control of contemporary organisations.Design/methodology/approachWe draw on, and develop, insights from extant literature and from two case studies to explore how rules and routines may interact. FindingsWe propose a framework on the interactions of rules and routines across multiple dimensions. We adopt a wide notion of rules to include formal rules, rules as internal cognitive structures of human actors, and rules technologically embedded in non-human actors. We argue that rules underlie and may precede routines, distinguish between repeated practices and routines and explore the role of technology in todays management accounting practices.Research limitations/implicationsThis research shows how the process of routinization and, ultimately, institutionalization of practices involves multiple dimensions of rules, as well as both human and non-human actors. With this understanding, researchers and practitioners will be better equipped to, respectively, understand nuances of management accounting change and actually achieve change in practice.Originality valueThis paper highlights the importance of rules in the routinization and institutionalization of management accounting practices and proposes a framework which explores the interactions of rules and routines across three realms: material, action and psychological. Including a material realm, related with technologically embedded rules, in the proposed framework contributes to institutional theory by acknowledging todays increasing role of technology in organizational life.

Lesbians on Medical Encounters: Tales of Heteronormativity, Deception, and Expectations

The experiences of lesbian women in medical encounters prove particularly relevant for understanding their difficulties in their relationship with professionals and health services. We carried out semistructured interviews with 30 women aged 21 to 63 years, who define themselves as lesbian. The analysis highlights the difficulties experienced in disclosure of sexuality in medical encounters, the tendency for doctors to come across as heteronormative, and also medical practices experienced as appropriate by interviewees. Analysis of participant experiences demonstrates the need for reflection and decision making to promote the recognition of the sexual citizenship of lesbian women and their empowerment.

Paradoxical puzzles of control and circuits of power

Purpose - – This paper aims to clarify a paradox in an organisation: in the past, formally powerful “central” actors confronted important limitations in their relations with formally less powerful actors. However, three innovations – the financial accounting module of an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, a corporate centre (CC) and a shared services centre (SSC) – substantially changed and re-centred network power relations. The authors adopt a critical discourse to explain this paradox, contributing to the emerging literature on SSCs and bridging the management control and power literatures. Design/methodology/approach - – An in-depth, processual, actor-network theory-inspired three-year case study of a large Portuguese manufacturer. Findings - – As the intertwined accounting-related innovations were (re)mobilised by actors, dynamically adjusting to unfolding repercussions, control and power effects emerged, enabling enhanced organisational steering. Research limitations/implications - – Based on a single case, this paper highlights effects of managerial technologies, in particular ERPs and SSCs, on control and power relations, and refines Clegg’s model for future research. Practical implications - – The transactional, low value-added activities typically performed by SSCs should not lead to underestimating their potentially profound organisational consequences. However, the surrounding socio-technical network is decisive for the emerging, inter-related repercussions. Originality/value - – This paper explains the relative capacity of actors to influence the practices and configuration of the organisational network structurally, fixing power relations within the socio-technical network through innovations in the accounting area, in particular ERPs and SSCs. By revising Clegg’s circuits of power framework, this paper contributes to understanding possibilities and limits of accounting techniques in management control procedures.

Attitudes Towards Same-Sex Marriage in Portugal: Predictors and Scale Validation

The goal of the present research was to validate a Portuguese version of Pearl and Galupos (2007) Attitudes toward Same-Sex Marriage Scale (ATSM). Participants were 1,402 heterosexual men and women that completed an on-line questionnaire. The final 15-item scale formed a single factor showing high internal consistency (α = .95). This one factor structure was backed-up by a confirmatory factorial analysis. In a general way, the results indicate a clearly positive attitude toward same-sex marriage (overall mean was 63.79, SD = 12.66, above the scale mid-point, t(1401) = 55.55, p < .001). Furthermore, analysis of the scales predictors demonstrates how a left-wing orientation (β = .22, p < .001) and the level of denial of deservingness for lesbian/gay discrimination (β = .30, p < .001) prove to be the best predictors of attitudes towards same-sex marriage. On the whole, these results indicate that the Portuguese ATSM version is a reliable instrument for carrying out scientific research and measuring and monitoring public opinion on this subject.

Gender Violence in Portugal: Discourses, Knowledge and Practices

This article discusses the emergence of feminism in Portugal with special emphasis on the actions taken in confronting gender violence. Starting with the history of feminist movements and its implications for the development of the country, it maps public policies, legal measures and victim support institutions/services to better understand the phenomena of violence against women and to identify strategies, adopted in the last decades, to confront it. Presenting a synthesis of some Portuguese studies on women and violence, this article mirrors the increasing interest in the study of violence against women in the academic context and especially in the context of gender studies.

A população lésbica em estudos da saúde: contributos para uma reflexão crítica

For decades, lesbian sexuality was associated with pathology in the attitudes to and practices of health sciences and psychology. During the twentieth century that position changed gradually. This article analyzes these changes in a theoretical reflection on the domain of lesbian health, dominated by heteronormative and heterosexist concepts and practices both in research and in health care. By means of a critical contextualization of the literature, specific health needs of lesbians were identified and the interventions of health care professionals and services were questioned. Specific concrete actions are proposed in the fields of health promotion and in the eradication of discrimination and inequality in health care.For decades, lesbian sexuality was associated with pathology in the attitudes to and practices of health sciences and psychology. During the twentieth century that position changed gradually. This article analyzes these changes in a theoretical reflection on the domain of lesbian health, dominated by heteronormative and heterosexist concepts and practices both in research and in health care. By means of a critical contextualization of the literature, specific health needs of lesbians were identified and the interventions of health care professionals and services were questioned. Specific concrete actions are proposed in the fields of health promotion and in the eradication of discrimination and inequality in health care.