Brazil experienced a conservative revolt between 2013 and 2018 that culminated with the rise of far-right politician Jair Bolsonaro to the presidency. Bolsonaro’s administration intensified an ongoing process of political polarization and conflict, which resulted in his narrow defeat to then former President Lula da Silva in the 2022 elections. The January 2023 attack on Congress, the Supreme Court, and the Presidential Palace by Bolsonaro’s supporters after his failure to concede defeat exemplify Brazil’s significant process of democratic decay.
Join Professor Mauro P. Porto, Associate Professor of Communication at Tulane University, to explore the root causes of Brazil’s political crisis and examine their future implications for the country’s democracy.
Robert Gray Freeland will also be joining us to discuss the Spanish Heritage Program. A part of the Louisiana State Museum (LSM) and Friends of the Cabildo (FOC) educational efforts, the program focuses on Louisiana's Spanish heritage by providing historical and cultural relevance for Spanish classes in local schools and universities.
Dr. Alla Rosca will moderate the discussion.
Mauro P. Porto is Associate Professor of Communication at Tulane University. His most recent book, Mirrors of Whiteness: Media, Middle-Class Resentment, and the Rise of the Far Right in Brazil (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2023), examines the recent conservative revolt in Brazil that culminated with the 2018 election of far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro.
Robert Gray Freeland serves on the Board of the Friends of the Cabildo, the volunteer organization of the Louisiana State Museum. He is an educator with the Spanish Heritage Program at LSM and FOC. Robert holds a Bachelor’s degree from Tulane, double majoring in Economics and Latin American Studies.
This event is sponsored by The World Affairs Council of New Orleans (WACNO).
