Books & ideas

Web Activism in São Paulo: New Political Practices

Rita de Cássia Alves Oliveira & Rosemary Segurado — 2014-07-14T07:00:00Z

In September 2011, Ocupa Sampa, a Brasilian activist movement started to occupy Sao Paulo's center, adopting the same strategy as 15M in Spain or Occupy Wall Street in New York. Analyzing the use of web activism in the organization of this movement, this essay focuses on the role of Ocupa Sampa as a possible precursor to the June Days, which started two years later.

Brazil's “Winter of Discontent”

Edesio Fernandes — 2014-06-23T07:30:00Z

Recent social movements in Brazil, characterized by diffuse claims and a diversity of actors, should not be solely interpreted as reactions to the overwhelming cost of organizing the 2014 World Cup. This article emphasizes the elitist nature and the inefficiency of recent urban policy.

Democracy, Urban Issues and Corruption in Contemporary Brazil

Alfredo Ramos — 2014-06-19T07:14:48Z

The June protests which shook Brazil in 2013 stunned the world. This dossier, published by Books&Ideas, discusses the main issues at the core of these protests, analyzing them in the light of previous mobilizations and explaining why they are essential to the understanding of contemporary Brazil.