Travesti epistemology: an online ethnography by Alessandra Teixeira Primo

Abstract

This article presents the results of a Master’s research conducted within the Graduate Program in Education, Contemporary Contexts, and Popular Demands at the Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, under the supervision of Professor Dr. Edméa Oliveira dos Santos, leader of the Research Group on Teaching and Cyberculture. The research aimed to understand how trans women and travestis construct their epistemologies and authorship on Instagram. To conduct the investigation, online ethnography was adopted as a methodology to monitor and understand the dynamics of knowledge production and educational practices in the daily lives of cultural practitioners on Instagram. Over approximately one year, four trans/travesti researchers were ethnographically studied to understand how the educational devices forged by these women were practiced on the social network. Thus, this article presents the online ethnography of Alessandra Teixeira Primo, Professor Dr. at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. By observing the practitioner, the study aimed to understand and document her gender transition process, as well as her authorship and the use of digital devices. In this process, the professor adopted communication strategies that include the production of educational content, the reconfiguration of her public image, and the construction of a discourse that engages with different audiences. Therefore, this study aims to provoke critical reflections, encouraging the recognition of these researchers’ inclusion as a fundamental right and an essential step toward democratizing knowledge in science.