On Day 2, we gathered expert researchers working on various areas of sustainable development to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing Brazilians today. On the first panel, titled 'Sustainable development from below: communities, grassroots, and disaster resilience', we heard from Dr James Fraser (Lancaster), Dr Manoela Machado (Oxford and Woodwell Climate Research Center) and Dr Claudia Martins (Tropical Water Research Alliance - TWRA/FAPEG). Dr Fraser asked, ‘is there a forest citizenship?’ while explaining the crucial role of territorial security for the full realisation of indigenous rights. Dr Machado presented her work on forest fires in Brazil, highlighting the importance of exchanging knowledge on geospatial analysis for fire monitoring, prevention, and resistance to suppression in Indigenous Lands. Dr Martins’ presentation touched on the relationship between wildlife, sertanejos, and Brazil’s green transition.
At the afternoon panel on 'The environmental costs of Brazil’s persistent inequalities', we welcomed Dr Mara Nogueira (Birkbeck), Dr Laura Trajber Waisbich (Oxford), and Dr Isadora Cruxen (QMUL). In her presentation, Dr Nogueira talked about social cleavages emerging from ‘formal’ and ‘informal’ structures by focusing on risk, vulnerabilities, and resistance in Brazil’s urban peripheries. Dr Waisbich discussed domestic policymaking to examine Brazil’s ambition to become a ‘Green Power’. Dr Cruxen’s research presentation engaged with sustainable infrastructures and the politics of financing Brazil’s ‘green transition’, with a detailed analysis of recent policy reforms in the water sanitation sector. We are also thankful to our brilliant panel chairs, Professor Martijn Koster (Wageningen) and Dr Daniel McDonald (Oxford).
On Day 3, we held a panel on ‘Women in Academia: A Spotlight on Brazil’, organised by our Joint International Relations PhD alumna and current Research Affiliate Dr Maísa Edwards. This event explored the amazing research conducted in and on Brazil by women in fields such as defence, mental health, business, and education. Topics of discussion included: women in academia, research development on Brazil, choosing one’s avenue of research and specialisation, and fieldwork and data collection.
Our panellists included Dr Maísa Edwards from King’s College London (Defence and Security); Dr Ingrid Aguiar Schlindwein from SOAS (Political Economy); Dr Camila Matias Pereira from the Université de Sherbrooké (Mental Health); Dr Luísa Calvete Portela Barbosa from SOAS (Political Thought and Migration), Marcela Gola Boutros from the University of Sussex (International Education) and Raisa Ramos De Pina from the University of Brasilia (Business and Commerce). It was chaired by KBI Director Dr de Souza Santos, who also shared valuable and thought-provoking insights on her career and experiences. The panel discussion was followed by an in-person workshop where attendees were able to think through and develop their own research ideas with guidance.
On Day 4, we closed Brazil Week 2024 with two fantastic events! In the afternoon, we hosted a roundtable discussion on migration and Brazilians in the UK featuring highly insightful contributions from Ambassador João Alfredo dos Anjos Júnior, Dr Matthew Richmond (Newcastle and LSE), Vitoria Nabas (partner at Gunnercooke), Roberto Felipe Santos Jr (Director at WTW), Caio Quero (Head of BBC News Brasil), and Professor Karl Erik Schøllhammer (Rio Branco Chair at KBI from PUC-RJ). The co-chairs in this event were Dr de Souza Santos (KBI Director), Dr Ingrid Aguiar Schlindwein (KBI and SOAS), and Daniel H. Alves (PhD candidate in political economy).
We concluded Brazil Week 2024 on a high note with a very special performance by King's Brazil Ensemble, playing 'A Noiva do Condutor' (the Tram Conductor's Sweetheart) from the Brazilian composer Noel Rosa. The Ensemble was brilliantly conducted by its creator, Dr Vinicius Mariano de Carvalho!