XVII Congress of the Brazilian Studies Association

The Intelligence Files on the Black Panther Party's International Section and Brazilian Dissidents in 1970s Algiers: An Exploration of Archives, Exiles, and Counterrevolution

• In Event: Counterrevolution, Peasant Struggle, and Black Dissent: Interrogating the Intersections of Race and Authoritarianism in Brazil

Abstract

The paper, "The Intelligence Files on the Black Panther Party's International Section and Brazilian Dissidents in 1970s Algiers: An Exploration of Archives, Exiles, and Counterrevolution," focuses on a seminal event in the 1970s - the arrival of Brazilian guerillas in Algiers and their interaction with the international section of the Black Panther Party. This event occurred during the height of the Brazilian dictatorship (1964-1986) and the most violent repression period under President-General Medici (1969-1974). Despite the authoritarian regime and strict censorship, news of the event was published in a widely-read newspaper, Correio da Manhã. This provided Brazilian intelligence with the perfect opportunity to validate their suspicions and monitor the activities of leftist groups and exiles. However, the 1970s intelligence files stated otherwise. The paper draws on Brazilian and American intelligence files that have been declassified to examine the interactions between leftist groups and the impact of the Black Panthers Party on the Brazilian underground left movement. The essay explores and analyzes the information from primary sources to shed light on the Brazilian Left's understanding of race and class in the 1980s and its impact on contemporary Brazilian state policies on race.

Author

• MARCELO JOSE DOMINGOS, IHG -DF / SEDF