The Law in Times of Emergency and Transition

If you are a Columbia/Barnard affiliate with campus access, please use your Columbia/Barnard email when registering.

Each attendee must have their OWN registration and email address.

Registration for external guests closes at 4PM on February 20. Registration will automatically close at that time. Columbia/Barnard affiliates with access to campus may register at the door.

Join us for a conference marking the 40th anniversary of Brazil's return to democracy after 21 years of military-civilian dictatorship. We will explore the convergence of political, social, and economic transitions that defined this period, situating it within the broader regional history of authoritarianism in Latin America. The conference will examine how pro-democracy movements advocating for racial justice, human rights, and government accountability emerged at the municipal level, often preceding their influence on national politics. We aim to reevaluate how law functioned both as an instrument of state violence and as a tool leveraged by marginalized groups to advocate for their basic needs, thereby expanding the meaning of citizenship. The event will also reflect on key historiographical debates that illuminate the complex relationship between law, democracy, and violence in Latin America. Marking 40 years since Brazil’s return to democracy offers a critical opportunity to examine the very ideas of “transition” and “democratization.” Using Brazil as a focal point, we will also explore the intertwined, recent histories of nations emerging from dictatorships across the Americas in the context of current global political challenges.

Presenters:

Amy Chazkel, Columbia University

Barbara Weinstein, New York University

Claudio Lomnitz, Columbia University

Daniela Traldi, Columbia University

Gianpaolo Baiocchi, New York University

Jacob Blanc, McGill University

James N. Green, Brown University (Emeritus)

Juan Ignacio Arboleda, University of Pennsylvania

Keisha-Kahn Perry, University of Pennsylvania

Kendall Thomas, Columbia University

Larissa Rosa Correa, PUC-Rio and Harvard University

Mariana Cavalcanti, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro and Columbia University

Martha S. Jones, Johns Hopkins University

Melissa Teixeira, University of Pennsylvania

Oscar Vilhena Vieira, Fundação Getulio Vargas

Please email [email protected] to request disability accommodations. Advance notice is necessary to arrange for some accessibility needs.

Host or Publisher The Society of Fellows and Heyman Center for the Humanities