Scholar Highlights

Viviane Ribeiro

Viviane Ribeiro is a PhD student in the Philosophy Department. Viviane joined the CIE SBU Scholars program in May 2024. Her research focuses on the political philosophy of Baruch Spinoza and his very particular conceptions of rights and democracy. As a CIE SBU Scholar, Viviane has received funding to participate in the Latin/Greek Institute at Brooklyn College and to present at the North American Spinoza Society 2025 Meeting in Columbia, SC.

How did support from the CIE SBU Scholars program impact you?:  "In Philosophy, there is this request to know the language of the philosopher that you study. I study an early modern philosopher whose main writings are in Latin. For me, it always seemed impossible to learn an ancient language because of financial and time issues. Even more during the summer – when the graduate students at Stony Brook do not earn their incomes. However, the research grant made this possible for me. Now, I have a new skill that enables me to read the works of early modern and premodern philosophers in their original language, translate passages that I can use in my dissertation, discuss the accuracy of our current translations, and so on. Not to say that the CUNY Latin/Greek Institute is very prestigious, so it will definitely be a difference having it in my CV."