Brazilian variations : essay

The crisis of democracy in Brazil in the late 2010s began to materialize with the soft coup that put Dilma Rousseff out of office in 2016 and would eventually become epitomized by the political persecution of her predecessor - the then former president who is currently serving his third term - Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

During the short presidency of Michel Temer (2016-2018), this sociopolitical crisis in the largest nation in South America presented profound connections with those that were then taking place in neighbouring countries. After years of progress in the development of sovereignty both on an individual and a national level - a process which was steadily advanced by the generation of progressive South American administrations of the early 21st century and their respective movements - citizens would again see a series of governments with strong authoritarian traits resurging throughout the continent. These oppressive forces would darken horizons with their overt disregard for the rule of law and human dignity. The various forms in which this authoritarianism manifested itself in the different scenarios in the region were, in many ways, novelties, yet these political forms were also the continuation of long-standing lineages, systems, and processes that have oppressed South Americans for centuries.