Today we are immensely fortunate to have two experts on Brazilian politics and workers’ movements visit Speaking Out of Place to talk about Luiz Ignacio Lula da Silva’s remarkable return from defeat in the first round to a massive and historically unprecedented victory over Flavio Bolsonaro. Ruy Braga and Rebecca Tarlau explain the political and cultural landscape of Brazil, the dominance of agribusiness and evangelicalism, and the needs and demands of the different classes in Brazil. How did a combination of incredibly savvy political and media maneuvering and massive mobilization amongst young people deliver Lula an historical fourth term as president of Brazil? We also connect this rebuttal of far right authoritarianism in Brazil with the “blue tsunami” that repudiated fascist Donald Trump in the US midterm elections during this very same period, and talk about what we need going forward to continue and grow a progressive movement in both countries.
Ruy Braga is a sociologist and professor at the University of São Paulo (USP), Brazil. His research focuses on precarious work, racial capitalism, and working-class politics. He is the author of several books, including The Politics of the Precariat, The Anguish of the Precariat, and Racial Capitalism: An Introduction.”
Rebecca Tarlau is an Associate Professor at the Stanford University Graduate School of Education. Her research focuses on state-society relations, social movements, and Latin American education. Her book Occupying Schools, Occupying Land (Oxford University Press, 2019) is on the educational initiatives of the Brazilian Landless Workers Movement. Her forthcoming book Teacher Organizing Across the Americas (Oxford University Press, 2027) analyzes teacher activism in Brazil, Mexico, and the United States.
