with Larissa Mies Bombardi, Universidade de São Paulo, Moisés Kopper, Marie Curie Postdoc LAMC/ULB, Margaux De Barros, AmericaS/CEVIPOL/ULB & Gustavo Gomes da Costa, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco

In collaboration with CECID & CEVIPOL

The year 2022 marks the 200th anniversary of Brazil’s independence. This historical milestone coincides with a deep and enduring political, economic, social, and public health crisis. Despite a ghastly record of welfare state retrenchment, human rights violations, environmental suffering, pandemic-related death, and isolation from the international community, the current far-right president and former army captain Jair Bolsonaro enjoys considerable support from his base of hardcore followers. Against this background, the return to politics of former president Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva—Bolsonaro's main rival in the upcoming presidential elections—promises to exacerbate tensions in a country already marked by extreme polarization. Can Lula rally the groups of Brazil’s fragmented political landscape around his candidacy despite the strong opposition his party—the PT—faces in many sectors of Brazilian society? Can Bolsonaro rebuild the neoliberal and neoconservative front that brought him to power in 2018 despite the current economic and public health disasters? And what role will social movements play in an electoral process in which the future of the country is at stake?

This round table offers a foray into the multiple challenges facing Brazilian democracy in the run-up to a decisive presidential election. Through the analysis of various forms of social mobilization and resistance in areas ranging from the rights of the LGBTQ community to religion, environmentalism, and housing, the aim is to shed light on the actions and perspectives of grassroot actors carrying an alternative project in a context rife with hostility, intimidation, and crime.

Larissa Mies Bombardi holds a Bachelor’s, a Master’s and a PhD’s degrees in Geography from the Universidade de São Paulo (USP).

Moisés Kopper is a Marie Curie IF@ULB Postdoc at the Laboratoire d’Anthropologie des Mondes Contemporains. Previously, Kopper held postdoctoral appointments at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies and the Center for Metropolitan Studies.

Margaux De Barros is a post-doctoral fellow at CEVIPOL.

Gustavo Gomes da Costa holds a master's and a PhD’s degrees in Political Science from the Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil. He is Lecturer of sociology at the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE), Brazil, member of the Atelier de Genre et Sexualité (AGS).

Monday 13th of June from 2 to 4 pm

Salle Kant
ULB - Institut d'études européennes (IEE)
Av. F.D. Roosevelt 39
1000 Bruxelles

Sign-up required

Contact: marie-line.furst@ulb.be

More informations: Here