Categories
HISTORY POLITICS UNDERSTANDING BRASIL

The Curious Case of the Brazilian Royal Family

When Napoleon Bonaparte and his troops invaded Portugal the royal family fled to Brazil. In 1822 they declared independence and Dom Pedro I became the head of the western hemisphere’s only monarchy. He declared himself emperor and his family governed Brazil for the next 67 years. They were exiled back to Europe after a coup […]

Categories
CITIES OPINION RIO DE JANEIRO UNDERSTANDING BRASIL

Brasil is not Rio

The Olympics are arriving in a year and it is only a matter of time before thousands of journalists parachute into Rio as they did last year during the months before the World Cup. Rio de Janeiro is unquestionably one of the world’s most beautiful cities. It is a magnet for foreign journalists and tourists […]

Categories
HOUSING POLITICS SOCIAL MOVEMENTS UNDERSTANDING BRASIL

A Brief Look at Brazilian Social Movements

Brazil currently has its most conservative Congress in decades. As violence against social movements increases and the criminalization of Brazilian social movements in the media and judiciary intensifies, it is a good time to take a closer look at who these movements are and what they are doing. How did they start, and what is […]