UC Women in Science: Ana Rosa Jaqueira
Ana Rosa Jaqueira is a professor and researcher at the UC Faculty of Sport Sciences and Physical Education. Her research focuses on recreational games, folk wrestling and Capoeira. She is the May guest of ‘UC Women in Science’.
Ana Rosa began her academic career in Brazil, but is now doing her PhD and teaching in Coimbra. A capoeira practitioner, she has also joined contemporary dance groups and sees physical activity as a fundamental part of her journey. Ana Rosa Jaqueira is a professor and researcher at the Faculty of Sport Sciences and Physical Education of the University of Coimbra (FCDEFUC), specialising in recreation and leisure.
Ana Rosa Jaqueira argues that "games have rules that can be adapted to our group, our context and the materials we have. The behaviours identified in the context of the game can be applied outside the sports hall. In traditional games, the referees are the players themselves. They accept and respect the rules, they organise themselves, they communicate and they reach a consensus,” she points out, further adding that "Traditional games can be used as a teaching tool, and that's the goal of the Erasmus+ project GAMES PLUS: Traditional Games for Learning to Teach, which brings together Spain, Portugal, and Croatia."
Nowadays, "people have started to pay attention to traditional games and to overcome prejudices," says Ana Rosa Jaqueira. These games are considered "active components of physical education and sport, with the cultural dimension playing a very important role".
(English subtitles available soon)
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Short Bio:
I am a researcher of traditional games and their elements, particularly in relation to people and their relational and overall well-being. Therefore, I explore diversity and the challenges it presents. I go beyond the general cliché of the motor and the physical, which are important but do not fully encompass this systemic and indivisible whole.
I have a degree in Sports and Physical Education, an MSc in Sports Psychology with a focus on sports education in Brazil, and a PhD in Sports Science - Physical Activity from the UC. My rather eclectic undergraduate education, along with my personal experiences in dance, capoeira and sport, and the support of some special people, has allowed me to approach science in a quite unique way.
My laboratory is full of emotions of all kinds because it's full of people who are constantly in motion, with the energy they radiate and the emotional contagion they generate. My laboratory is where the players are, and it is within ourselves. The physical component is essential, but not exclusive. The physical component is essential, but not the sole focus. Accepting the recreational agreement is an act of democracy and life itself - an act of courage to take off our masks and embrace authenticity.
“Teacher, what are we going to play today?” This question is the key to translating theory into practice in traditional games. The concept of practical theory, first introduced in the Cineanthropology course, may vary in subjects such as Recreation and Games and Leisure Organisation. These subjects form an inherently diverse body of knowledge unique to the Faculty of Sports and Physical Education of the UC.
I adopt a multidisciplinary approach to studying human movement within the context of traditional games and capoeira. I am currently leading the Erasmus+ project 'GAMES PLUS: Traditional Games for Learning to Teach'.