Boaventura de Sousa Santos, born in Coimbra, Portugal, in 1940, is a renowned sociologist and legal scholar. He holds a Ph.D. in sociology of law from Yale University and is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the University of Coimbra. Known for his work on global social justice, epistemologies of the South, and participatory democracy, Santos has published extensively on topics such as globalization, human rights, and the sociology of law. He has also been a key figure in the World Social Forum and the ALICE project, promoting anti-hegemonic global perspectives.