Projects
From Manchester to Manaus 17 3 2018 (MaCTRI)
From Manchester to Manaus – A Direct Connection: A Scholarly Memoir, 17.3.18 — Academic Creative Enterprise: Executive Summary
The collaboration between the Critical Race and Ethnicity Research Cluster at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) and the LABINS research team at the Federal University of Amazonas (UFAM) establishes an international partnership between Manchester, UK, and Manaus, Brazil. Rooted in community arts, liberation psychology, and grassroots engagement, this initiative bridges academic research with actionable community interventions to support marginalised and Indigenous populations. Dr Ornette D. Clennon takes us on one of his recent academuc adventures in the heart of the Amazonian rainforest, more specifically from Manchester to Manaus.
From Manchester to Manaus – A Direct Connection: A Scholarly Memoir, 17.3.18 — Academic Creative Enterprise – Key Partnership Objectives
- Cross-Cultural Knowledge Exchange
Integrating community arts and liberation psychology frameworks to foster social change across transnational urban contexts. - Co-Supervision & Academic Mentorship
Providing specialised co-supervisory support for UFAM Master’s research students in social and community psychology. - Joint Academic Output
Co-authoring scholarly papers for leading interdisciplinary peer-reviewed journals and developing an edited volume on international liberation psychology practices. - Grassroots Community Action
Translating research methodologies into actionable enterprise and community development initiatives in Manaus and Manchester.
From Manchester to Manaus – A Direct Connection: A Scholarly Memoir, 17.3.18 — Academic Creative Enterprise – Historical Context & Genesis
The foundations of this partnership were laid in 2012 at MMU’s former Elizabeth Gaskell Campus, when Professora Dr Claudia Sampaio (UFAM) presented her research on choir singing and rehabilitation with young male offenders.
In 2014, Dr Sampaio joined MMU’s Department of Psychology as a Visiting Research Fellow, initiating formal strategic planning alongside UK researchers to construct research and enterprise links between both cities. Through support from the Brazilian Higher Education Funding Agency (FAPEAM) and UFAM, a academic delegation featuring Professor Rebecca Lawthom and visiting colleagues traveled to Manaus in March 2018 to operationalise the partnership.
From Manchester to Manaus – A Direct Connection: A Scholarly Memoir, 17.3.18 — Academic Creative Enterprise – Pedagogical Contributions & Workshops
During the visiting professorship at UFAM, key academic deliverables were presented to faculty, postgraduate researchers, and community stakeholders:
1. Community Arts, Liberation Psychology, Personal Transformation and Social Change
This presentation examined the operational integration of liberation and community psychology frameworks into creative, participatory community art practices. It addressed how non-traditional psychological interventions can support personal agency and systemic social transformation.
2. Using Community Arts to Build Communities of Practice
Delivered as an experiential workshop, this session demonstrated how structured, creative music processes can establish functional “communities of practice.” The workshop provided practical methodologies for researchers and community facilitators to cultivate peer support networks through shared artistic engagement.
Fieldwork & Community Engagement
The research delegation conducted field site visits across Manaus to establish collaborative links with local Indigenous, afro-descendant, and urban communities:
- Indigenous Medical Centre: Investigating traditional healthcare delivery systems and evaluating non-Western wellness paradigms.
- Re-encounter with Indigenous Cosmologies: Engaging with indigenous epistemologies to decolonise standard qualitative research frameworks.
- Alci Matos Community Project: Formulating long-term research strategies focused on urban grassroots empowerment and social enterprise development.
- Quilombo Praça XIV: Partnering with historic Afro-Brazilian urban settlements to document community resilience and cultural preservation techniques.
Strategic Impact & Future Directions
This international research alliance acts as a catalyst for ongoing institutional exchange. By securing ongoing grant funding through FAPEAM and UK research councils, the partnership continues to drive joint projects, including the Alci Matos initiative, reciprocal activist visits between Manaus and Manchester, and sustained contribution to global decolonial scholarship.
From Manchester to Manaus – A Direct Connection: A Scholarly Memoir, 17.3.18 — Academic Creative Enterprise – Dr Ornette’s Talk workhop and community engagement showcase
Here is a blog post about my recent academic adventures in the heart of the Amazonian rainforest (Manaus)! via https://critracemmu.wordpress.com/from-manchester-to-manaus-a-direct-connection-a-scholarly-memoir/ Please click on the picture. Here are some of the fun times! The memories…. Manaus – Heart of the Amazon The Pope visited and blessed a roundabout (yes, a roundabout) and this was his first (and […]