Outlook For Brazilian Democracy

Given our considerable resources and the close ties Chicago has to Latin America, CLAS organizes public engagement activities that extend the impact of the University into our local and regional community. Our K–16 educator training workshops, current events-themed Latin American Briefing Series, and performing and visual arts presentations constitute a rich outreach program that reaches sizeable audiences. 

This series, organized by CLAS and cosponsored by the Chicago Center on Democracy, seeks to paint a balanced, non-partisan picture of the state of democracy in Brazil today. As the world’s 4th largest democracy, Brazil has been at the center stage of contemporary concerns about the demise of democracy and the rise of fascism.

In recognition of the critical role that judicial activism has played in the fortunes of Brazil in the last decade, the series began with events that focused on the role of the law and the judicial system in pushing back against threats to democracy. The series then took a broader view of issues affecting democracy, including:

• The rise of political activism by the police and the violence perpetuated by paramilitary groups
• The increase in the number of Black women working to advance racial democracy by running for office
• The role of social movements in advancing gender equality, reproductive rights, self-housing, and urban mobility, and the resistance from authoritarian and conservative social movements
• The history of energy infrastructure, land management, and legislation that continue to affect Brazil’s handling of environmental issues

With an eye toward the Brazilian elections later this year, these events were designed to situate the current moment within Brazil’s political history, to take the pulse of the Brazilian state and Brazilian democratic institutions today, and to reflect on what the future may hold.