Interview with Erika Parlato-Oliveira: listening to babies in the poetics of beginnings

Abstract

This interview aims to present and discuss the main theoretical and clinical contributions of Erika Parlato-Oliveira, with emphasis on infant knowledge and the conception of language as a multimodal and relational phenomenon. Drawing on a trajectory that integrates scientific research, psychoanalytic clinical practice, education, and transdisciplinary approaches, the interviewee questions normative perspectives on child development, particularly those focused exclusively on motor and linguistic milestones. The method adopted is a semi-structured interview, allowing an in-depth exploration of concepts, experiences, and theoretical shifts developed throughout her career. The main findings highlight the baby as an active subject, producer of knowledge, and intentional participant in relationships from the very beginning of life, as  well as the importance of an ethical listening stance that recognizes gestures, gazes, silences, and bodily expressions as legitimate forms of language. The interview also addresses the notion of infant psychic suffering, moving away from pathologizing frameworks and risk-based discourses, and emphasizes the relevance of professional training capable of sustaining each baby’s singularity in clinical, health, and educational contexts. It is concluded that listening to babies requires rethinking practices, theories, and adult-centered positions, opening space for an understanding of childhood marked by potential, difference, and invention