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Public lecture series "Brazil. Land of the Future or the Past"
In 1941, while in exile in Brazil, Stefan Zweig wrote the book "Brazil. A country of the future". The title of the book was used as an epithet for the country in Brazil for decades. This was justified because, despite massive problems, the population always radiated hope - i.e. a future - to foreign visitors. Brazilians often added the melancholy and ironic phrase ... a future that we will never reach.
Then the improbable happened. With the election of the left-wing candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as president, who took office on January 1, 2003, Brazil had achieved its future. The first years of his government were characterized by a broad social awakening and the shaping of the future. Disillusionment set in. Brazil is currently ruled by a radical right-wing president. There is little sign of new beginnings or hope. His re-election would turn Brazil into a country of the past. But what could the future be?
Brazil today is a deeply divided country. The question of whether it is still a country of the future or of the past will be examined by the speakers from various perspectives.
Participation is possible for a maximum of 100 people in presence or you can register for online participation via Zoom with Ms. Klein: p.klein[at]uni-kassel[dot]de
Lecture on June 2, 2022:
Clarita Müller-Plantenberg: What do the indigenous people still want?
The indigenous people in Brazil have had successes and are still under threat today. From the beginning of the conquest, their numbers fell from around five million to less than 200,000 in the 1960s. Direct and indirect genocides against these oldest inhabitants of present-day Brazil were stopped in the years that followed. Many of the approximately 300 indigenous peoples experienced a demographic recovery. The last census in 2010 counted almost 900,000. In addition, many indigenous territories were established, particularly in the Amazon, which now cover around one million square kilometers. However, the government is currently attempting to re-enable economic exploitation and thus encroachment on the territories through various legislative initiatives.
In this difficult historical phase, Clarita Müller-Plantenberg will attempt to answer the question of what the indigenous people still want and what their future prospects might look like. The sociology professor taught at the University of Kassel from 1981 to 2009. One of her main areas of research was the Amazon region and the indigenous peoples of Brazil. She is still a committed defender of indigenous rights today and is returning to her old place of work with this lecture.