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Sonja Graf is a social scientist with a background in anthropology and philosophy. She has lived in the United States, Germany, India, the Netherlands, Ireland, Greece, Spain and Portugal. Her research looks at intercultural social integration in urban contexts, focusing on social dances in their power to connect people from different backgrounds. She researches the many layers of social integration down to the neurochemical level, focusing on touch, synchrony and oxytocin.
Identification

Personal identification

Full name
Sonja Helena Graf

Citation names

  • Graf, Sonja

Author identifiers

Ciência ID
B815-FB72-0E31

Websites

Knowledge fields

  • Social Sciences - Psychology
  • Social Sciences - Other Social Sciences - Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary
  • Social Sciences - Sociology - Anthropology

Languages

Language Speaking Reading Writing Listening Peer-review
English (Mother tongue)
German Advanced (C1) Upper intermediate (B2) Intermediate (B1) Proficiency (C2)
Portuguese Upper intermediate (B2) Advanced (C1) Intermediate (B1) Proficiency (C2)
Spanish; Castilian Elementary (A2) Elementary (A2) Elementary (A2) Upper intermediate (B2)
Education
Degree Classification
2021/10/19 - 2025/10/20
Ongoing
 Psychology (Doutoramento)
ISCTE-Instituto Universitário de Lisboa Centro de Investigação e Intervenção Social, Portugal
2018/09/01 - 2020/01/22
Concluded
 Master's in Ethnochoreology (Master)
University of Limerick Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, Ireland

University of Limerick, Ireland
"Embracing Community and Connection: An Ethnographic Account of Forró in Brussels " (THESIS/DISSERTATION)
 First Class Honors
2014/09/01 - 2018/02/28
Concluded
 Liberal Arts and Sciences (Bachelor)
Major in Philosophy, Culture, Literature
Amsterdam University College, Netherlands

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands

Universiteit van Amsterdam, Netherlands
"The Utopia of Being: The Relevance of Huxley's Island Here and Now" (THESIS/DISSERTATION)
 Graduated with Distinction
Affiliation

Others

Category
Host institution 		Employer
2021/10/22 - 2025/12/22 PhD student Universidade de Lisboa Instituto de Biofísica e Engenharia Biomédica, Portugal
Fundação da Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
2021/10/01 - 2025/10/01 PhD student ISCTE-Instituto Universitário de Lisboa Centro de Investigação e Intervenção Social, Portugal
Projects

Grant

Designation Funders
2021/10/01 - 2025/10/01 Intergroup Bonding, Identification and Prosociality in Social Dance: An Interdisciplinary Study of Interpersonal and Neurochemical Processes
n/a
PhD Student Fellow
ISCTE-Instituto Universitário de Lisboa Centro de Investigação e Intervenção Social, Portugal
 ISCTE-Instituto Universitário de Lisboa Escola de Ciências Sociais e Humanas
Ongoing
Outputs

Publications

Conference paper
  1. Graf, Sonja; JERÓNIMO, Rita; Prata, Diana. "Dancing our way to a more Empathetic world: an Interdisciplinary Approach to the Power of Interpersonal Motor Coordination". Paper presented in Empathy Colloquium in Art-Science-Philosophy, Lisbon, 2022.
  2. Graf, Sonja. "Please Hug Each Other: Transmitting Values of Community and Connection through Touch in Forro´ Dance". Paper presented in International Council for Traditional Music, Ethnochoreology Symposium, Klaipeda, 2021.
    In press
  3. Graf, Sonja. "Illegal hugs: an (auto)ethnographic account of the lives of social dancers during COVID-19 social distancing". Paper presented in International Council for Traditional Music, 2020.
    Submitted
Conference poster
  1. Graf, Sonja; JERÓNIMO, Rita; Prata, Diana. "In-group expansion: Prosocial effects of intergroup dancing and the mediating role of oxytocin". Paper presented in 3rd Symposium of ICTMD-SoMoS (Study Group on Sound, Movement, and the Sciences), 2022.
Working paper
  1. Graf, Sonja; JERÓNIMO, Rita; Prata, Diana. 2022. "Social Bonding, Identification and Prosociality in Social Dance: An Interdisciplinary Study of Interpersonal and Neurochemical Processes".
Activities

Association member

Society Organization name Role
2020/11/11 - Current The Social Dance Research Alliance Founder
2019/02/01 - Current International Council For Traditional Music member
2016/08/01 - 2016/08/31 Care4Calais Aid worker at (The Jungle refugee camp) Calais, France

Consulting

Activity description Institution / Organization
2017/12/01 - 2017/12/31 Carrying out needs-based interviews with Syrian refugees and participating in a dance a music project in Thessaloniki the InterEuropean Human Aid Association, Greece

Interview (tv / radio show)

Program Topic
2021/03/22 - 2021/03/22 Interviewed for Fearless Females Voice podcast Crossing barriers as a woman in academia
2019/04/05 - 2019/04/05 interviewed for ULtalks lecture video on Ethnochoreology Studying Humanity through the Lens of Dance

Mentoring / Tutoring

Topic Student name
2017/09/01 - Current English Teacher Private students
2018/02 - 2018/04 Dance and music instructor for school children at Mudita Foundation, Myanmar Novices at a monastic school
Distinctions

Award

2020 Graduated with First-Class Honours
University of Limerick, Ireland

Other distinction

2017 Graduated with Distinction
Universiteit van Amsterdam, Netherlands

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands