On this episode of Brazil Unfiltered, James Green talks with Vera Paiva, a Professor of Social Psychology at the University of Sao Paulo. Vera is an expert on the ways societies deal with collective trauma, and how it affects everything from politics to public health. Her interest in the work is also personal; her father was a politician and activist who abducted, killed, and disappeared by the military when Vera was 16. James and Vera talk about her upbringing, her work combating the spread of AIDS and HIV, and how to get out from under the shadow of a military dictatorship.

Trauma and Healing, on a National Scale

Leila Lehnen is the Chair of Portuguese and Brazilian Studies at Brown University. Her work uses literature to explore Brazilian society, culture, and history. As she she sees it, literature doesn’t just reflect a country's culture and politics -- it shapes it, too. 

On this episode of Brazil Unfiltered, Jim and Leila discuss what her work has taught her about contemporary Brazil, and how literature can help us expand our imagination of the politically possible. They also discuss politics in Brazil today, and the changing attitudes towards President Bolsonaro. 

To learn more about Leila Lehnen's book 'Citizenship and Crisis in Contmeporary Brazil', follow this link: [https://www.amazon.com/Citizenship-Crisis-Contemporary-Brazilian-Literature/dp/1349447218/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=]

Literature, Politics, and Citizenship in Brazil

From the corruption scandal known as ‘Operation Car Wash’ to Bolsonaro’s clashes with the Supreme Court, today Brazil’s judiciary is at the center of the nation’s political and social struggles. On this episode, James Green talks with someone uniquely qualified on the subject: former Attorney General Luís Inácio Adams. In addition to the process and politics of ‘Operation Car Wash’ and Dilma Rousseff’s impeachment, Luís and James look at how the courts stand as a check against some of President Bolsonaro’s most conservative tendencies, and how the country’s political landscape could change in the coming years.

To see Luís Inácio Adam's lecture during his visit to the Watson institute, follow this link: [https://watson.brown.edu/brazil/events/2019/luis-cio-adams-challenges-brazilian-constitution-our-democracy-jeopardy]

Is Brazil's Democracy In Jeopardy?

December 2019 marks the one-year anniversary of the founding of the US Network for Democracy in Brazil, a grassroots organization dedicated to fighting for Brazil’s democracy from outside its borders. On this episode of Brazil Unfiltered, Jim (who co-founded the organization) talks with the Network's National Organizer, Marina Adams. They discuss the growth and evolution of the network over the last year, and their plans going forward. They also discuss the power of forming a diverse, international coalition, and the unique opportunities that arise when scholars and activists collaborate.

For more information about the Network, follow them on Facebook: [https://www.facebook.com/democracybrazil/]

How to Join the Fight for Democracy in Brazil

On this episode James talks with Erica Lorraine Williams, Assistant Professor at Spelman College and author of 'Sex Tourism in Bahia: Ambiguous Entanglements.' They discuss Erica’s book, which explores how Brazil’s sex tourism industry affects Afro-Brazilian women’s lives in the Brazilian state of Bahia. They also look more broadly at how Afro-Brazilian women have been impacted by the election of president Jair Balsanaro, and the ways they have organized to resist this current regime.

You can learn more about Erica's book here: [https://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/catalog/67nsg8gz9780252037931.html]

How Black Feminists Activists Are Resisting Brazil’s Conservative Turn

On this episode, Jim and Brazil Unfiltered’s new co-host Marina Adams have a fascinating conversation with Geri Augusto, Associate Professor of International & Public Affairs and Africana Studies at Brown. They talk about what drew Geri to studying and working in Brazil, some of her most fruitful partnership with scholars and activists in the country, and how we should reimagine our study of Brazil for the 21st century.

Rethinking How We Study Brazil

In Brazil, the name Vladamir Herzog is iconic. Herzog was a journalist who, in 1975, was tortured and killed by members of the military. Officials staged his death to make it look like a suicide. When this cover-up was exposed, ordinary citizens took to the streets; many would argue that the protests surrounding his death marked the beginning of the end of Brazil’s military dictatorship. On this episode of Brazil Unfiltered: Part One in a two-part series on the Herzog family’s history and legacy. James Green speaks with Vladimir Herzog’s son, Ivo, about his father's life, death, and work. Ivo now leads the Vladimir Herzog Institute, an NGO that protects journalists, promotes human rights education, and documents attacks to democracy in present day Brazil.

You can watch Ivo’s talk from his recent visit to the Watson Institute here: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfvvN8ZEEXM&feature=youtu.be]

Fighting for Democracy and Making Meaning From Tragedy (Part One with Ivo Herzog)

On this episode of Brazil Unfiltered James continues his conversation with Ivo Herzog, the son of slain journalist and symbol of Brazilian democracy, Vladimir Herzog. Vladimir Herzog was murdered by the Brazilian military in 1975, and the protests surrounding his death marked a turning point in the fall of Brazil's military dictatorship. Ivo now leads the Vladimir Herzog Institute, an NGO that protects journalists, promotes human rights education, and advocates for democracy in Brazil. James and Ivo discuss the Institute's mission and creation, the importance of a free press to democracy, and how the Institute continues the Herzog family legacy. 

If you haven't listened to the first part of this conversation yet, you can do so here: [https://soundcloud.com/brazilunfiltered/fighting-for-democracy-and-making-meaning-from-tragedy]

You can watch Ivo’s talk from his recent visit to the Watson Institute here: [www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfvvN8ZEE…&feature=youtu.be]

Loss, Legacy, and Democracy in Brazil (Part Two with Ivo Herzog)

Brazil is going through turbulent times. There’s never been a more important moment to understand Brazil’s politics, society, and culture. To go beyond the headlines, and to ask questions that aren’t easy to answer. 'Brazil Unfiltered,' a new podcast from Brown University and the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, will do just that. This bi-weekly podcast is hosted by James Green, Professor of Brazilian History and Culture at Brown University and the Director of Brown’s Brazil Initiative [https://watson.brown.edu/brazil/]. Each episode he’ll have on a new guest for a clear, clean, straightforward conversation about contemporary Brazil.