Workshop by King's Brazil Institute and Georgetown University

Organisers: Dr Andreza Aruska de Souza Santos and Professor Bryan McCann      

Brazil has endured two large-scale mining dam collapses within the last decade, Mariana (2014) and Brumadinho (2019). In both cases, the dams collapsed due to corporate malfeasance and negligence. And in both cases, political influence of a single large corporation over towns played an important role in leaving those populations vulnerable before, during, and after disasters.      

This workshop will draw together Andreza Aruska de Souza Santos’ research on Brazil’s Company Towns with Bryan McCann’s research on the 'Politics of disaster in recent Brazil'. The workshop will also cultivate research by experts on the topics. Shared research efforts will explore the roots and ramifications of mining company influence over local and state politics. Participants will consider not only the Mariana and Brumadinho disasters, but what these disasters reveal more broadly about corporate negligence, regulatory capture, systems failure and their implications for the environment and local populations.           

Tentative programme

10:00 Coffee and pastries in the room 

10:30 Andreza Aruska de Souza Santos, KCL, Mining Towns in Brazil

11:00 Bryan McCann, Georgetown University, Disaster Politics in Brazil

11:30 Pogust & Goodhead, Mariana's Dam disaster

12:00 Thiago Aguiar, Research on Vale do Rio Doce in Brazil

12:30 Kyra Grieco, LISST/CAS, IFEA - The case of Carrara, Italy

13:00 Lunch 

Afternoon

14:00 Leandro Raizer, UFRGS, Rio Grande do Sul Climate Disaster

14:30 Eduardo Stranz, Brazilian Municipalities - Impact Case

15:00 Documentary, Vale? - Yula, People’s Palace Place