Maria João Barata is a Professor and Coordinator of the Office for International Relations at the Miguel Torga Institute of Higher Education (ISMT, Coimbra, Portugal), and researcher at the CEPESE (Porto, Portugal). She has a Graduation in Sociology, a Master in Communication, Culture and IT, and a PhD in International Relations. She is associate editor of the scientific journal Interações – Sociedade e as Novas Modernidades, and has several scientific articles and chapters published on media and communication, social theory, international relations, self-determination, and the conflict of the Western Sahara. Presently, her research interests also include poverty, social inequalities, and age-friendly cities.