XVII Congress of the Brazilian Studies Association

Reflections on the second edition of Understanding Contemporary Brazil

• In Event: Roundtable: Continuity and Change in Modern Brazil

Abstract

Brazil has famously been called a country of contradictions. It is a place where narratives of “racial democracy” exist in the face of stark inequalities, and where the natural environment is celebrated as a point of national pride, but at the same time is exploited at alarming rates. To people on the outside looking in, these contradictions seem hard to explain. This book tackles these problems, providing a critical introduction to Brazil’s complexities, with chapters on national identity and the political structure; religion and spirituality; economic development, the environment, and social policy; urban issues and public security; debates over culture, race, and gender; social inequality, protests, and social movements; foreign policy and international engagements; and the recent rise of right-wing populism. By considering the historical, political economic, and socio-cultural roots of Brazil’s internal dynamics, this interdisciplinary book attempts to equip readers with the contextual understanding and critical insight necessary to an understanding of contemporary Brazil. As participants in this proposed roundtable, co-authors Jeff Garmany and Anthony W. Pereira propose to offer an account of their original completion of this book, which was first published in December 2018, and the process of revision which will lead to the publication of the book’s second edition.

Authors

• Jeff Garmany, University of Melbourne

• Anthony Pereira, FIU