Among the Study/Research Groups coordinated by faculty members of the PPGFIL with regular activities, the following are included:
Group of Studies on Medieval Philosophy
Since May 2003, the Group of Studies on Medieval Philosophy has aimed to provide undergraduate and graduate students with the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of specific medieval themes, problems, or authors. However, as a university extension project, the group has always taken into account some peculiarities: it is not exclusively for Philosophy students, as students from other university courses participate, and its activities are open to the general public, even outside the university environment. Indeed, the community has always been present.
Although the group’s main goal is not to train researchers, it has been a consequence of the group’s activities that many students direct their research toward medieval philosophy topics during their undergraduate and postgraduate studies.
With weekly meetings, the group has been, for over twenty years, a special space for reflection on important medieval philosophical issues such as faith and reason, the relations between temporal and spiritual power, the problem of universals, metaphysical issues, proofs of the existence of God, ethics, and virtue.
The group continues to attract a significant number of participants, especially at the beginning of each year, including many young students. Not all continue to attend; some seek extracurricular activities for their academic record, others are simply curious, and some are enthusiastic but uncertain in the early stages of their academic life. Nevertheless, all have the opportunity to better understand medieval philosophical work.
Certified in the CNPq Directory of Research Groups:
http://dgp.cnpq.br/dgp/espelhogrupo/813840
Nietzsche Study Group UFPel
Created in 2003 as a university extension project, the Nietzsche Study Group UFPel aims to bring together students and community scholars interested in discussing key issues in Nietzsche’s thought, philosophy, and contemporary culture. Under the coordination of Professor Clademir Araldi, the group began its activities by reading Human, All Too Human and by hosting the itinerant edition of the “XIV Nietzsche Encounters” (a tribute to Gerd Bornheim), organized by the Nietzsche Study Group at the University of São Paulo (GEN), held at UFPel from June 26 to 28, 2003.
The group consolidated in 2004 by analyzing Beyond Good and Evil and organizing the “XVI Nietzsche Encounters,” which took place in Pelotas from June 14 to 16. Starting in August 2009, the group was coordinated by Professors Clademir Araldi and Luís Rubira. During this new cycle, the group organized the “XXVII Nietzsche Encounters (Brazil – France – Italy)” between September and October 2009, featuring guests such as Céline Denat, Marco Brusotti, Patrick Wotling, and Scarlett Marton.
The group hosts annual readings and debates of Nietzsche’s works and has contributed to the training of over twenty master’s and doctoral students within the PPG in Philosophy at UFPel. The group maintains an ongoing exchange with national and international research groups (such as GIRN and HiperNietzsche). In 2024, the Nietzsche Study Group UFPel organized the Nietzsche Mercosul Encounters, bringing together 25 speakers from Argentina, Chile, Peru, Uruguay, and various universities in Brazil.
Certified in the CNPq Directory of Research Groups:
http://dgp.cnpq.br/dgp/espelhogrupo/385591
Aesthetics and Critique of Modernity Research Group
Founded in 2003, the “Aesthetics and Critique of Modernity” research group investigates the rupture in philosophical thinking that occurred in the 19th century with Nietzsche’s philosophy. In addition to Nietzsche’s critique of modernity (in its various aspects: morality, metaphysics, culture, art, politics, science), the group also explores the consequences and repercussions of this perspective in philosophers such as M. Heidegger and M. Foucault.
The group’s focus is on Nietzsche’s critique of morality and his naturalist approach to moral phenomena, along with a new understanding of modernity that aims to establish new models of subjectivity through the creation of values, new types of humans, and new ways of life. The group works to deepen discussions on the significance of Nietzsche’s philosophy, particularly in terms of its genealogical critique of traditional philosophy (morality and metaphysics) and its creative-constructive dimension.
Certified in the CNPq Directory of Research Groups:
http://dgp.cnpq.br/dgp/espelhogrupo/26396
Hannah Arendt Study Group (GEHAr)
Certified in the CNPq Directory of Research Groups:
http://dgp.cnpq.br/dgp/espelhogrupo/786890
Ecopolitics and the Global South Study Group
Created in 2023, the Ecopolitics and Global South Study Group aims to address students’ concerns with ecological issues and their implications for the Global South. The group’s goal is to rethink the relationship between humans, the world, and Earth, deeply impacted by processes of alienation, destruction, and excess, as exemplified by the ecological crisis. It contributes to the current debate on sociopolitical issues arising from the ecological crisis through the production of knowledge with an emphasis on critical theories from the Global South.
The group works on the premise that ecological issues have become a transversal and primary political issue, so that all politics has transformed into Ecopolitics. It also holds the perspective that effective ecopolitical practices must begin with a critical decentering from dominant viewpoints, whether political, economic, cultural, or others.
The group’s thematic focus on ecopolitics will guide the selection of study materials and the investigation of the ecological crisis, while also critically engaging with the concept of coloniality.
The group meets once a week, with a schedule published at the start of each semester on university spaces and social media.
Registered on the UFPel Institutional Portal:
https://institucional.ufpel.edu.br/projetos/id/u7168
