Summary of course - Brazil: Democracy, Citizenship and Culture
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Course
Brazil: Democracy, Citizenship and Culture
Institution
Universiteit Van Amsterdam (UvA)
This lecture and seminar summary provides a detailed overview of information provided in the lectures of the course; with all the information provided by the lecturer and offers major insights needed for the exam. The course is taken in the minor for Latin American Studies
BRAZIL: DEMOCRACY, CITIZENSHIP AND CULTURE REVISION GUIDE
Lecture 1: The Brazilian nation in historical perspective
Brasil Colonia
There have been original populations situated there for at least 10,000 years
The Portuguese arrived in 1500, perhaps by accident
Centuries of colonial occupation was overlooked by mainly the Portuguese but also the Dutch and
the French
It was a coastal colonial economy – with plantations
Brazil was the largest plantation slave colony of Europe anywhere in the world
The original populations were faced with genocidal displacement, especially amongst indigenous
societies, reducing their population severely
Brazilian Political Transitions
The independence period lasted from 1808-1831, and from 1822-1889 was formally an empire
In 1889 Brazil declared itself a republic
1930-1964: this period was marked by revolution and nationalist populism headed by Vargas
From 1964, the military coup and subsequent bureaucratic-authoritarian regime took hold until 1985
1822: Independence
The British pressured the Portuguese monarchy to leave Brazil; and in 1815 was recognised as an
‘equal’ kingdom to Portugal, therefore it was politically repositioned at the beginning of the 19 th
century
It was a largely peaceful transition from colony to sovereign monarchy
Independence was the birth and confirmation of modern nationhood for Brazil it brought a
gradual and peaceful dynastic transfer of power
Independence brought Brazil territorial integrity
The monarchy centralised the Brazilian state and they invented their own aristocracy and nobility
to reward political and economic progress, this was detached from ideas pushed on by Portuguese
colonisers
1888: Abolition of Slavery
The English tried to force Brazil to abolish the slave trade, and complied by formally declaring they
would stop the slave trade by in reality this was not fully accomplished
The most decisive elements pushing for abolition was the extra expenses and socio-economic
disadvantages
The Abolitionist movements mobilised against slavery more for political and moral reasons
Brazil was the last of the Western countries (in the Atlantic) that abolished slavery
,Abolition meant modernity for Brazil, and also the consolidation of capitalism due to the boost of
other agricultural sectors in the face of abolition
1889: Founding of the Republic
The same forces that abolished slavery were not the same forces that abolished the monarchy
Military coup 15th of November 1889
The ‘old republic’ period began, dominated by the oligarchs in each of the provinces of Brazil
Brazil was transformed into a highly decentralised feudalist structure
Richer provinces were more important than poorer ones
The formation of the Republic brought social, culturalist elitists and racist modernity e.g.
urbanism, immigration, more public social and health policies and the rise of national art and
literature
‘Order and Progress’ characterised this transition period
1930: Vargas and National-Populism
Vargas and his party were upset with the oligarchical domination of the country
They enacted a coup and installed a new regime from 1930, Vargas as the undisputed leader of this
movement and with his populist regime tried to incorporate the middle and lower classes into
Brazilian popular life
From 1937 to 1945 Vargas enacted a coup on his own government, installing a personal dictatorship
and the regime of Estado Novo
Vargas’ nationalist populism centred on industrialisation and economic advances
He was coined the Pai dos Pobres (father of the poor) for his concerted interest in the working
classes
1964: Military Dictatorship
During economic instability, the military decided to harness political power into their own institution
and led a military regime for the subsequent 20 years
Democratic institutions and elections were neutralized but not fully abolished
Characterised by state-led developmentalism and middle-class consumerism
Violent repression 1968-1979
Lecture 2: Brazil in the Global Context
During the Colonial Period Brazil was a unitary colony of the Portuguese using Real Politk =
wherever you are you can claim sovereignty
The Baron of Rio Branco is seen as the founder of Brazilian diplomacy
, Key features of Brazil’s international politics
1. Pragmatic Nationalism and Developmentalism taking into account Brazil’s economic
development but also the fragility of this due to the uncontrollable forces of global
capitalism
2. Diplomacy and soft power no powerful military ambitions nor capabilities
3. Alignment with the West especially since 1943
4. South American integration especially since 1985 and consolidated under the leadership
ambitions under Lula
5. G20 and BRICS after 2003
6. South-South Alliances e.g. ISBA
7. Bolsonaro’s anti-globalism and re-alignment with the US
The Rise and Fall of the Green State
You have two realities: ecological power and agro power
Amazon Diplomacy
The Amazon covers almost half of the Brazilian territory
From 2000, mechanisms to control deforestation were put in place
To combat concerns about the growth of agrobusiness, Brazilian officials mandated a ‘sustainable’
project to quarry environmental concerns
It’s hard to comprehend the realities of this sustainable production however
The narrative of the green state and sustainability pushed for Brazilians to believe food production
was of utmost importance to the economy
Under Bolsonaro, this narrative was completely ignored climate change was denied and there
was a marked distance from climate governance
Seminar 1: Brazil- Democracy, Citizenship and Culture
Governing Covid-19 without government in Brazil
Q: “the denial of unsettling facts, the realisation that knowing the least amount possible is often the
most indispensable tool for managing risks and exonerating oneself from blame in the aftermath of
catastrophic events” p.1263
Lessons from the text:
1. Decentralisation of decision making onto state actors failure to govern leads to
governance from below
2. Racial aspect of Covid-19 denial has led to a conscious or unconscious state genocide of
indigenous groups
3. Circular narrative of medical and health history in Brazil
4. Bolsonaro approaches Covid-19 with no approach
Brazilian History as Global History
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