A horizon of (im)possibilities: Reflecting on the social implications of recent political upheaval in Brazil

With crucial political events occurring at a dramatic pace (from President Dilma Rousseff’s impeachment and her succession by Michel Temer, to the imprisonment of former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the election of former military officer Jair Bolsonaro), the political landscape in Brazil has shifted rapidly, confronted with realities considered unimaginable only a few of years earlier. Indeed, depending on the perspective from which one looks at these events, it can be argued that the limits of what is politically possible have expanded (or contracted).

Tapping on the notion of possibility, and acknowledging that the recent presidential elections are but the end result, or culmination, of a series of social and political changes that have been taking place over several years, this conference invites researchers to consider and critically reflect on contemporary political events and their social implications.

A key question that will guide the discussions is: What may appear to be the possibilities and impossibilities for active citizenship, democratic values, and violence prevention in the aftermath of the latest presidential elections? Further questions that we would like to consider include:

What may have motivated citizens to opt for far-right political alternatives in the Brazilian context? What is the role of mobile social media in influencing voting behaviour? How do groups, such as ‘ethnic’, religious, gender and sexual minorities, deal with growing hostility against them and threats against constitutionally guaranteed rights? How to conciliate deepened social and political divisions that were accentuated ahead of the 2018 national elections?