Abstract
This chapter analyses the nature of the Brazilian socio-political protests that sparked in 2013 and are still going on today. The focus on determining the main drivers of the movement, protesters’ demands, new forms of collective action and the resulting political changes allows me to trace an important change in the Brazilian democracy as a whole. These protests are neither a one-shot deal, nor an institutionalized social movement. I argue that they rather represent a demand of protesters for participation in the permanent dialogue between the power and the public on every single issue that troubles at least some groups of the society. In this sense, such protests may indicate a completely novel era in the Brazilian democracy that renders representative democracy obsolete and insufficient, while the demands for participatory democracy are being increasingly voiced. Importantly, this mode of protesting proves rather efficient in terms of real changes in politics it brought.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
Interview with Boris Martynov, Institute of Latin America, Russian Academy of Science, March 2014. Interview with Victor Krasilschikov, Institute of World Economy and International Relations, Russian Academy of Science.
- 2.
Interview with Boris Martynov, Institute of Latin America, Russian Academy of Science, March 2014. Interview with Victor Krasilschikov, Institute of World Economy and International Relations, Russian Academy of Science. Interview with Zbignev Ivanovskiy, Institute of Latin America, Russian Academy of Science, March 2014. Interview with Emil Dabagyan, Institute of Latin America, Russian Academy of Science, March 2014.
- 3.
Interview with Boris Martynov, Institute of Latin America, Russian Academy of Science, March 2014.
- 4.
E.g., only 7% of Brazilians trust people, and 92% think that “Most people can’t be trusted”; these numbers are stable since 1991. Source: http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/.
- 5.
The percent of people, who declared in 2014 “Active membership of church or religious organization” is 50%,“Active membership of sport or recreation organization”—9%, “Active membership of art, music, educational organization”—7%, “Active membership of labor unions”—8%, “Active membership of political party”—2%, “Active membership of environmental organization”—2%, “Active membership of professional organization”—6%, “Active membership of charitable/humanitarian organization”—10%, “Active membership: Consumer organization”—1%, “Active membership: Self-help group, mutual aid group”—5%, “Active membership of any other organization”—2%. These numbers are stable since 2006. Source: http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/.
- 6.
Interview with Victor Krasilschikov, Institute of World Economy and International Relations, Russian Academy of Science.
- 7.
National survey in Brazil was conducted in 2006 and 2014. The respondents were asked about their confidence in public institutions. The percentage of those who answered “A great deal” plus “Quite a lot” is presented in 2006 and 2014: Church (77% vs 70%), Armed Forces (69% vs 59%), Labor Unions (45% vs 38%), Government (46% vs 41%), Political Parties (21% vs 16%), and Parliament (25% vs 21%); the Environmental Protection Movement (66% vs 61%), the Women’s Movement (64% vs 61%), the charitable and humanitarian organizations (65% vs 59%), the United Nations (46% vs 37%). Statistical margin of error is 2.6%. Therefore a percentage difference of less than 6% may not be statistically significant. But the general trend of the decrease of public trust in institutions is evident. Source: http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/.
- 8.
The respondents were asked about their participation in political actions. Below % of those who answered “have done” is presented in 2006 and 2014: signing a petition (56% vs. 44%), signing a petition recently (74% vs. 62%); attending lawful/peaceful demonstrations (18% vs. 16%), attending lawful/peaceful demonstrations recently (63% vs. 76%). Source: http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/.
- 9.
The respondents were asked about their Interest in politics. Below % of those who answered “Very interested” plus “Somewhat interested” is presented in 2006 and 2014: 48% vs. 37%. Source: http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/.
- 10.
The respondents were asked about Government responsibility. Below % of those who answered “10-The government should take more responsibility+9+8” is presented in 2006 and 2014: 44% vs. 52%. Source: http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/.
- 11.
The respondents were asked about Income inequality. Below % of those who answered “Incomes should be made more equal+2+3” is presented in 2006 and 2014: 29% vs. 39%. Source: http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/.
- 12.
The respondents were asked about Wealth accumulation. Below % of those who answered “10-Wealth can grow so there’s enough for everyone” is presented in 2006 and 2014: 31% vs. 41%. Source: http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/.
- 13.
The respondents were asked about Importance of democracy. Below % of those who answered “Absolutely important” is presented in 2006 and 2014: 40% vs. 49%. The respondents were asked about Importance of democracy. Below % of those who answered “Absolutely important” is presented in 2006 and 2014: 40% vs. 49%. Source: http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/.
- 14.
The respondents were asked about Democracy. Below % of those who shared certain characteristic of democracy as an essential is presented in 2006 and 2014: “People choose their leaders in free elections” (45% vs. 57%), “Governments tax the rich and subsidize the poor” (8% vs. 14%), “People receive state aid for unemployment” (37% vs. 42%), “Civil rights protect people’s liberty against oppression” (28% vs. 44%), “Women have the same rights as men” (54% vs. 62%). Source: http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/.
- 15.
13% in 2006 vs. 23% in 2014. Source: http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/.
- 16.
The respondents were asked about “I see myself as a world citizen”. Below % of those who answered “Strongly Agree” is presented in 2006 and 2014: 27% vs. 37%. The respondents were asked about “I see myself as member of my local community”. Below % of those who answered “Strongly Agree” is presented in 2006 and 2014: 30% vs. 41%. Source: http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/.
- 17.
Interview with Zbignev Ivanovskiy, Institute of Latin America, Russian Academy of Science, March 2014. Interview with Victor Krasilschikov, Institute of World Economy and International Relations, Russian Academy of Science.
- 18.
Ibid.
- 19.
Based on the author’s analysis of about 300 headlines and news about Brazilian protests. Base of news was generated by FACTIVA within the time period June 2013–March 2016.
- 20.
Interview with Zbignev Ivanovskiy, Institute of Latin America, Russian Academy of Science, March 2014. Interview with Boris Martynov, Institute of Latin America, Russian Academy of Science, March 2014.
- 21.
Interview with Zbignev Ivanovskiy, Institute of Latin America, Russian Academy of Science, March 2014. Interview with Boris Martynov, Institute of Latin America, Russian Academy of Science, March 2014.
- 22.
Interview with Boris Martynov, Institute of Latin America of Russian Academy of Science.
- 23.
Decreased from 7.3 in 2010 to 6.8 in 2016.
- 24.
Decreased from 6.25 in 2014 to 3.75 in 2015
- 25.
BTI: from 8.2 in 2010 to 8.05 in 2016. The rating scale for each question ranges from 10 (best) to 1 (worst). Source: http://www.bti-project.org/uploads/tx_itao_download/BTI2003-2014_Scores_02.xls. Economist: from 7.12 in 2010 to 6.96 in 2015. The Economist Intelligence Unit’s index of democracy, on a 0–10 scale. Full democracies—score of 8–10. Flawed democracies—score of 6–7.9. Hybrid regimes—scores of 4–5.9. Authoritarian regimes—scores below 4. Source: http://www.yabiladi.com/img/content/EIU-Democracy-Index-2015.pdf and http://www.sudestada.com.uy/Content/Articles/421a313a-d58f-462e-9b24-2504a37f6b56/Democracy-index-2014.pdf.
- 26.
Freedom of the Press Index is changed from 43 in 2010 to 45 in 2015. Its score differs from (0 = Best, 100 = Worst), (F) Free: 0–30; (PF) Partly Free: 31–60; (NF) Not Free: 61–100. Source: https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2015/brazil.
- 27.
Freedom of the Net Index is changed from 30 in 2010 to 29 in 2015. Its score differs from (0 = Best, 100 = Worst), where FREE (0–30 points), PARTLY FREE (31–60 points), or NOT FREE (61–100 points). Source: https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-net/freedom-net-2015.
- 28.
Freedom of the Press: B = Political pressures and controls on media content (including harassment or violence against journalists or facilities, censorship, self-censorship, etc.). Political environment (“B” category): 0–40. It has changed from 18 in 2010 to 21 in 2015.
- 29.
Freedom of the Net Index: VIOLATIONS OF USER RIGHTS Sub-Index: (0 = Best, 40 = Worst). It has changed from 13 in 2010 to 16 in 2015.
- 30.
Interview with Victor Krasilschikov, Institute of World Economy and International Relations of Russian Academy of Science. Interview with Boris Martynov, Institute of Latin America of Russian Academy of Science.
- 31.
Interview with Victor Krasilschikov, Institute of World Economy and International Relations, Russian Academy of Science.
- 32.
Interviews with experts also prove that protests are not only new phenomena, but are also newly emerging political actors.
- 33.
Interview with Boris Martynov, Institute of Latin America, Russian Academy of Science, March 2014. Interview with Victor Krasilschikov, Institute of World Economy and International Relations, Russian Academy of Science. Interview with Zbignev Ivanovskiy, Institute of Latin America, Russian Academy of Science, March 2014.
References
AFP. (2014). Brazil police fire rubber bullets at landless protest. Resource document. Agence France-Presse. Retrieved from http://www.breitbart.com/news/b7a54ba8-6d39-427f-aa12-d7f74be33b16/. Accessed 8 March 2016.
Alliance News. (2016). Mass protests in Brazil as corruption scandal engulfs Rousseff. Resource document. London South East. Retrieved from http://www.lse.co.uk/AllNews.asp?code=kwra7e96&headline=Mass_Protests_In_Brazil_As_Corruption_Scandal_Engulfs_Rousseff. Accessed 8 March 2016.
Anufriev, A., & Zaytsev, D. (2016). “Protest Publics” in Egypt and Turkey from 2011 till present days: Assessment of impact on political changes. Comparative Politics, 2(23), 34–47.
Associated Press. (2013). Amid more protests in Brazil, clashes erupt in Rio slum over mysterious death of local youth. Resource document. Fox News. Retrieved from http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/08/14/amid-more-protests-in-brazil-clashes-erupt-in-rio-slum-over-mysterious-death.html. Accessed 8 March 2016.
Bartelt, D. D. (2014). The end of a success story? The FIFA World Cup and protests in Brazil. Resource document. Heinrich Böll Foundation. Retrieved from https://www.boell.de/en/2014/06/05/end-success-story-fifa-world-cup-and-protests-brazil. Accessed 19 July 2016.
Bastos, M. T., Recuero, R. C., & Zago, G. S. (2014). Taking tweets to the streets: A spatial analysis of the vinegar protests in Brazil. First Monday, 19(3). doi:10.5210/fm.v19i3.5227.
BBC. (2013). Brazil leader Dilma Rousseff promises reform referendum. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-23041396. Accessed 5 August 2016.
Belyaeva, N. Y., & Dzhibladze, A. (2014). “Public” as a “social actor” vs “public” as a “target audience”: Conceptual connection between “the public” and “civil society”. In E. Yasin (Ed.), XIV April international academic conference on economy and society development (Vol. 2, pp. 377–389). Moscow: HSE.
Boadle, A. (2013). Rousseff’s referendum plan for Brazil runs into trouble. Resource document. Reuters. Retrieved from http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/26/us-brazil-protests-idUSBRE95P01620130626. Accessed 21 July 2016.
Castillo, M. (2013). Rousseff proposes referendum for Brazil political reforms. Resource document. CNN. Retrieved from http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/25/world/americas/brazil-protests. Accessed 21 July 2016.
Dahl, R. (1989). Democracy and its critics. New Haven and London: Yale University Press.
Datafolha Research institute. (2016). Evaluation of President Dilma Rousseff [Avaliação da presidente Dilma Rousseff]. Resource document. Datafolha Research Institute. Retrieved from http://media.folha.uol.com.br/datafolha/2016/04/11/avaliacao-presidente-dilma.pdf. Accessed 21 July 2016.
Echo. (2013). President of Brazil called protests in the country as a part of democratic process (in Russian). Resource document. Echo. Msk. Retrieved from http://www.echo.msk.ru/news/1100656-echo.html. Accessed 21 July 2016.
The Economist. (2015). Democracy Index 2015. Resource document. The Economist. Retrieved from http://www.yabiladi.com/img/content/EIU-Democracy-Index-2015.pdf. Accessed 21 July 2016.
Flynn, D., & Soto, A. (2016). Record Brazil protests put Rousseff’s future in doubt. Resource document. Reuters. Retrieved from http://www.reuters.com/article/us-brazil-rousseff-protests-idUSKCN0WF0IX. Accessed 19 July 2016.
Fox News. (2013). Brazil leader submits demands for the referendum. Resource document. Fox News. Retrieved from http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/07/03/brazil-leader-submits-demand-for-referendum/. Accessed 21 July 2016.
Freedom House. (2016a). Freedom in the world. Brazil. Retrieved from https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2016/brazil. Accessed 21 July 2016.
Freedom House. (2016b). Freedom of the press. Retrieved from https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2015/brazil. Accessed 21 July 2016.
Freedom House. (2016c). Freedom of the net. Retrieved from https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-net/freedom-net-2015. Accessed 21 July 2016.
Globo. (2013). The senate approves the application of the fine for companies that practice corruption [Senado aprova aplicação de multa para empresa que pratica corrupção]. Resource document. Globo. Retrieved from http://g1.globo.com/politica/noticia/2013/07/senado-aprova-punicao-para-empresa-que-pratica-corrupcao.html. Accessed 21 July 2016.
Globo. (2014). With more than 20 protests, the 1st week of the Copa has the 180 arrested in acts [Com mais de 20 protestos, 1ª semana de Copa tem 180 detidos em atos]. Resource document. Globo. Retrieved from http://g1.globo.com/politica/noticia/2014/06/com-mais-de-20-protestos-1-semana-de-copa-tem-180-detidos-em-atos.html. Accessed 19 July 2016.
Globo. (2016). Map of demonstrations against Dilma [Mapa das manifestacoes contra Dilma]. Resource document. Globo. Retrieved from http://especiais.g1.globo.com/politica/mapa-manifestacoes-no-brasil/13-03-2016/contra/. Accessed 19 July 2016.
Gokay, B., & Shain, F. (2015). Making sense of the protests in Turkey and Brazil: Contesting neo-liberal urbanism in ‘Rebel cities’. [Entendendo o sentido dos protestos na Turquia (E no Brasil): A contestação do urbanismo neoliberal nas “Cidades Rebeldes”]. Estudos Ibero-Americanos, 41(2), 242–260. doi:10.15448/1980-864X.2015.2.21732.
Goldstone, J. A. (2013). Bringing regimes back in—explaining success and failure in the Middle East Revolts of 2011. Resource document. SSRN. doi:10.2139/ssrn.2283655. Retrieved from http://ssrn.com/abstract=2283655. Accessed 5 August 2016.
Inglehart, R., & Welzel, C. (2005). Modernization, cultural change, and democracy: The human development sequence. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Kaufmann, D., Kraay, A., & Mastruzzi, M. (2010). The worldwide governance indicators: Methodology and analytical issues. Resource document. The Worldwide Governance Indicators. Retrieved from www.govindicators.org. Accessed 27 September 2016.
Mahony, N., & Clarke, J. (2013). Public crises, public futures. Cultural Studies, 27(6), 933–954.
Mendonça, C., & Fuks, M. (2015). The relative deprivation and the activism in protests in Brazil: An investigation about the horizon of possibilities. [Privação relativa e ativismo em protestos no Brasil: Uma investigação sobre o horizonte do possível]. Opiniao Publica, 21(3), 627–642. doi:10.1590/1807-01912015213626.
Mendonça, R. F., & Ercan, S. A. (2015). Deliberation and protest: Strange bedfellows? Revealing the deliberative potential of 2013 protests in turkey and Brazil. Policy Studies, 36(3), 267–282. doi:10.1080/01442872.2015.1065970.
Morlino, L. (2012). Changes for democracy: Actors, structures, processes. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Oliva, J., & Khoury, A. (2013). Renewal of democracy in Brazil’s protests. Economic and Political Weekly, 48(30), 12–15.
Porta, D. D. (2014). Mobilizing for democracy. Comparing 1989 and 2011. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
RBC. (2013a). President of Brazil proposed to protestors referendum (in Russian). Resource document. RBC. Retrieved from http://top.rbc.ru/politics/25/06/2013/863208.shtml. Accessed 21 July 2016.
RBC. (2013b). President of Brazil promise to protestors improvement of living conditions (in Russian). Resource document. RBC. Retrieved from http://top.rbc.ru/politics/22/06/2013/862960.shtml. Accessed 21 July 2016.
RBC. (2013c). Rating of the president of Brazil crash down during last month (in Russian). Resource document. RBC. Retrieved from http://top.rbc.ru/politics/30/06/2013/863974.shtml. Accessed 21 July 2016.
RBC. (2016). In the name of Brazil: what were the reasons to remove from power of President Dilma Rousseff (in Russian). Resource document. RBC. Retrieved from http://www.rbc.ru/politics/12/05/2016/57334cc39a7947df829ce0a0. Accessed 21 July 2016.
Reutov, A. (2013). Brazil behave itself in an unsportsmanlike (in Russian). Resource document. Kommersant. Retrieved from http://www.kommersant.ru/doc/2215037. Accessed 21 July 2016.
Saad-Filho, A. (2013). Mass protests under ‘left neoliberalism’: Brazil, June-July 2013. Critical Sociology, 39(5), 657–669. doi:10.1177/0896920513501906.
Shahin, S., Zheng, P., Sturm, H. A., & Fadnis, D. (2016). Protesting the paradigm: A comparative study of news coverage of protests in Brazil, China, and India. International Journal of Press/Politics, 21(2), 143–164. doi:10.1177/1940161216631114.
Svoboda. (2016). Brazil: impeachment or coup? (in Russian). Resource document. Radio Svoboda. Retrieved from http://www.svoboda.org/content/transcript/27682104.html. Accessed 21 July 2016.
Sweet, C. (2014). Brazil woke up stronger? Power, protest and politics in 2013 [Brasil despertó más fuerte? Poder, protesta y política en 2013]. Revista De Ciencia Politica, 34(1), 59–78. doi:10.4067/S0718-090X2014000100003.
Tarrow, S., & Tilly, C. (2009). Contentious politics and social movements. In C. Boix & S. C. Stokes (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of comparative politics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
TASS. (2016). Brazil’s GDP in 2015 has dropped at a record rate since 1990. Resource document. Russian news agency TASS. Retrieved from http://tass.ru/ekonomika/2715672. Accessed 5 August 2016.
Transparency. (2008). Corruption Perceptions Index 2008. Resource document. Transparency International. Retrieved from http://www.transparency.org/research/cpi/cpi_2008/0/. Accessed 21 July 2016.
Transparency. (2015). Corruption Perceptions Index 2008. Resource document. Transparency International. Retrieved from http://www.transparency.org/cpi2015/#results-table. Accessed 21 July 2016.
Vargas, B., & Ely, L. (2014). Protest against the Cup brings together more police officers than protesters [Protesto contra a Copa reúne mais policiais do que manifestantes]. Resource document. Zero Hora. Retrieved from http://zh.clicrbs.com.br/rs/porto-alegre/noticia/2014/06/protesto-contra-a-copa-reune-mais-policiais-do-que-manifestantes-4533861.html. Accessed 19 July 2016.
Verdú, C. P., & Ferraz, A. T. R. (2015). The protest in Spain and Brazil: Economic crisis and political crisis [La protesta en España y Brasil: Crisis económica y crisis política]. OBETS, 10(2), 369–395. doi:10.14198/OBETS2015.10.2.04.
The Wall Street Journal. (2013). Brazil government drops plan for political-reform referendum in 2013. Resource document. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20130704-705050.html. Accessed 15 June 2016.
Warner, M. (2002). Publics and counterpublics. Public Culture, 14(1), 49–90. doi:10.1215/08992363-14-1-49.
Watts, J. (2016). More than a million Brazilians protest against ‘horror’ government. Resource document. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/13/brazil-anti-government-protests-dilma-rousseff-rio-de-janeiro. Accessed 19 July 2016.
World Bank. (2016). The World Bank data. Brazil. Retrieved from http://data.worldbank.org/country/brazil. Accessed 5 August 2016.
World Value Survey. (2016). Data and documentation. Online analysis. Retrieved from http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/WVSOnline.jsp. Accessed 5 August 2016.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Zaytsev, D. (2017). Brazilian Protests: Actors and Demands for Political Changes. In: Arbatli, E., Rosenberg, D. (eds) Non-Western Social Movements and Participatory Democracy. Societies and Political Orders in Transition. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51454-3_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51454-3_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-51453-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-51454-3
eBook Packages: Political Science and International StudiesPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)