Lidiana de Moraes earned her Ph.D. in Literary, Cultural, and Linguistic Studies from the University of Miami. Originally from Brazil, she brings extensive teaching experience in literature, cultural studies, and second language education to Florida State University. Her interdisciplinary research examines the intersections of race, gender, cultural memory, and creative expression across Latin America, Africa, and the broader Atlantic world, with particular attention to the cultural and political contributions of women and Afro-diasporic communities.
As a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow in Vanderbilt University’s Collaborative Humanities program (2022–2025), Dr. de Moraes began developing her current book project, Axes of Insubordination: Feminist Luso-Afro-Brazilian Art in a Global Context. The book examines how artists from Portuguese-speaking regions in Africa and the Americas use literature, film, and music to challenge dominant narratives, rethink historical memory, and articulate alternative possibilities for social transformation.
Alongside her book project, Dr. de Moraes’s recent research explores Black feminist cultural production, memory and multilingual expression in Lusophone African literature, and the relationship between cultural production and political activism. This work is reflected in a forthcoming book chapter on Conceição Evaristo’s Ponciá Vicêncio and in a special issue of Revista de Estudos Feministas that she recently co-edited on the legacy of Lélia Gonzalez. She is currently expanding her research agenda to include a comparative history of women’s soccer in Brazil and the United States, examining how race, gender, and institutional structures have shaped access, visibility, and participation in the sport.
At FSU, Dr. de Moraes offers interdisciplinary courses that invite students to think critically and creatively about culture, history, and the world around them. Her courses—including Soundscapes of Change, Afro-Diasporic Legacies, and Soccer is Life—examine how cultural practices and institutions shape social and political life across time and place. She is especially passionate about creating dynamic learning environments where students engage with unfamiliar ideas, make unexpected connections, and approach global questions with curiosity and intellectual openness.
Outside the classroom, Lidiana enjoys listening to music, going to concerts, reading novels, and cheering for her favorite soccer teams: Sport Club Internacional and Arsenal.
Honors Signature Courses
- HUM2937: Music is Power
- IDH3134: Soundscapes of Change: How Music Shapes Sociopolitical Memories and Expression
- IDH3156: Roots and Resistance: African Cultural Heritage in the Americas
- IDH3461: Soccer is Life: Politics, Culture, and the Beautiful Game