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IGDC Research Seminar Series: Political Crisis, Populism, and the Challenges of Progressivism in Brazil
Event details
Brazil’s leap towards ‘Rising Power’ status has been marked in recent years by a growing political instability. Under the leadership of the Workers’ Party (Partido dos Trabalhadores, PT), particularly during the mandates of presidents Lula da Silva (2003 – 2011) and Dilma Rousseff (2011 – 2016), Brazil experienced both sustained economic growth and falling poverty and social inequality. However, corruption scandals and economic recession led to the fall and almost collapse of the PT - with the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff in 2016, and Lula da Silva’s prison sentence in 2017 - and the rise of a far-right movement that allowed Jair Bolsonaro to access the country’s Presidency. Our two speakers will unpack the political, economic, and social dynamics of the recent reversal in Brazilian politics.
Maurício Rands served three terms as a congressman in Brazil’s Lower House of Congress, the Chamber of Deputies (2003-2012). In 2008, he was chosen as the leader of the Workers’ Party (the PT, Partido dos Trabalhadores) in the Chamber of Deputies. He is currently Professor of Law at the Federal University of Pernambuco. Professor Rands is the author of “Labour Relations and the New Unionism in Contemporary Brazil,” His other works include "A Era Lula: Desenvolvimento, Democracia e Cultura Política no Brasil" (The Lula Era: Development, Democracy, and Political Culture in Brazil), which provides an extensive balance of the years in which President Lula run Brazil.
Cristovam Buarque served as the governor of Brazil’s Federal District (1995-1998), and then as a Senator from 2003 to 2019. Initially a member of the Workers Party, in 2005 he joined the Popular Socialist Party (Partido Popular Socialista, PPS). Cristovam is the author of over 30 books. His most recent work is entitled ‘How the Left Elected the Right in Brazil’, and examines how Jair Bolsonaro rose to power after the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff.
Venue details
Contact
Tallulah Lines