XVII Congress of the Brazilian Studies Association

1964 in Perspective, 60 Years After the Coup Part III: Afterlife of Authoritarianism

Session Submission Type: Complete Panel

Abstract

2024 marks the sixtieth anniversary of the 1964 coup that ushered in twenty-one years of military rule in Brazil and inaugurated a new cycle of right-wing dictatorships across South America. Recognizing this milestone, we propose three successive panels broadly organized around this historic anniversary. The first and second panels will consider new perspectives on the histories of social movements and new approaches on the history of gender and sexuality, respectively. In this third and final panel, the five papers presented will showcase the long-lasting impacts of the regime’s authoritarianism to Brazil’s current reality. Ben Cowan will consider how precepts of hypermasculinity engaged conservative notions of counterinsurgency that serve as a link between the regime and present-day authoritarianism. Similarly, exploring how gender configurations have been central to sustaining authoritarianism, Marina Adams will present on the fundamental participation of women in the creation of the regime’s gender ideology and its lasting impact. Mariana Joffily will focus on how the regime’s internal logic of repression arises in relation to the police force’s accumulated knowledge and persists in Brazil’s high rates of police violence. Guilherme Sena, on the other hand, will present on the rise of think tanks that served as a conduit for the development of neoliberal ideology in Brazil as “ashamed” supporters of the regime sought to reposition themselves politically. Finally, Georg Wink will present on the history of the conservative “Tradition, Family and Property” movement, tracing its transnational importance, current configuration, and critical role in present day’s politics.

Sub Unit

• XVII Congress of the Brazilian Studies Association

Individual Presentations

• From “Man-Sized” Cold Warriors to Capitão Brasil: Gender and the Frameworks of Brazil’s Authoritarian Right - Benjamin Cowan, University Of California - San Diego Campus

• Guardians of the Nation: Women and the Shaping of Brazil's Authoritarianism - Marina Dias Lucena Adams, Brown University

• Political repression and police forces: on the legacy of military rule on public safety - Mariana Joffily, UDESC

• Ashamed technocracy: think tanks and the rise of neoliberal ideology in post-authoritarian Brazil - Guilherme Sena de Assunção, UC San Diego

• Heirs of TFP: Ultra-Catholic Groups and the Renewal of Conservatism - Georg Wink, University of Copenhagen

Chair

• Marina Dias Lucena Adams, Brown University

Session Organizer

• Marina Dias Lucena Adams, Brown University