Brazil: POLITICAL CULTURE,

SOCIALIZATION AND RECRUITMENT

SystemBrazil

Brazilian Political Culture: Origins

Thomastic synthesis of Greeks and St. Augustine Expansiveness of New World environment Rousseau

Elite Dominated

Emperor Dom Pedro II (age 61)

Legacy

of patrimonialism Civil society Emerged in response to authoritarian rule

Political Culture: Characteristics

Political Culture: Catholic Religion

Catholic nation; largest number of Catholics in the world Religious observance among Catholics traditionally low; of little importance electorally Liberation theology Ecclesiastical base communities National Conference of Brazilian Bishops

National Cathedral: Brasilia

POLITICAL CULTURE
EVANGELICAL
PROTESTANTS

Candomble

Religious differences in

voting patterns minimal

Political Culture of Statism

State permeates society Compliance and enforcement often arbitrary Social solidarity movements in favelas

Began as mechanism of state control during military dictatorship (1964 85) Movements evolved into institutions that sought to influence those in authority Became a force for democratization

Gender
Machismo and marianismo Under military rule traditional image and orientations towards politics of women began to change.

Political opportunity followed educational and occupational opportunity.

Authoritarianism had an economic impact on women:

Took the lead in their communities struggles for health care and sanitation Made demands relating to wages and worker rights

Racial Democracy: No & Yes

Racial Democracy myth Racial prejudice embedded in traditional Brazil Movimento Negro Unificado-The Unified Black Movement Against Racial Discrimination Affirmative action policies under

Brazilian Political Culture

How democratic?
Not tolerant of authoritarianism No single vision of what kind of democracy they supported They distrust politicians, political parties, and democratic institutions more than in the recent past. Distrust democratic institutions today more than other Latin Americans. Less aware of their civic rights and responsibilities than most Latin Americans On the other hand, Brazilians behave in more democratic ways than their answers to surveys may imply
Turn out to vote at higher rates and believe their vote matters more than on average across Latin America

Brazilians National Pride

Attitudes toward Institutions

Political Socialization in Brazil

Changes in the socialization of Women

Economic development and political organization carried over into democratic era Increased activist orientation of women

Race as a component of political socialization Print Media

Newspapers confined to elite Magazines

Socialization and Mass Communication

Impact of Television (access is universal)

Brings politics into Brazilian homes via the horario gratuito free television time set aside during the election campaigns for the political parties Individual candidates and parties receive coverage during television news and any televised debates Telenovelas (prime-time soap operas) . project themes subtly influence the ways in which people view politicians and institutions.

Socialization and Neighborhood

Political learning

Recruitment of Political Elites

Traditional political families
Coronales Wealth especially in South-east and South
Fernando Collor de Mello & Jose Sarney

Military regime opportunities for Tcnicos Movement to professional politicians (Fernando Henrique Cardoso) Labor movement (Luis Ignacio da Silva Lula) Inclusion of more women
Luiza Erundina

Political Recruitment and Political Participation: Citizen Politics

Blossoming of associations 8,000 in the late 1970s Organized movements around identities, single issues political and social rights, most notably those to protect indigenous peoples, the environment, and human rights and to gain land for the landless Tactics International allies Direct confrontation Use of the courts Role of NGOs

Political Participation as Political Recruitment

Mass political participation

Staggering amount of participation
Elections Participatory budgeting
Process by which hundreds of thousands of citizens meet in a series of open, public assemblies before the legislative budget cycle begins in order to establish spending priorities

Citizen Politics

Grassroots church groups Urban Neighborhood associations (8000) Professional associations Countryside (Movement of Landless Rural Workers) Mass demonstration and confrontational politics Non-governmental organizations

MASS POLITICAL PARTICIPATION

Voting compulsory Submission of blank ballots (varied between 19% and 31% in 1990s) Voting is becoming more inclusive

1960 19 million eligible to vote 1998 106 million eligible to vote

Chart compare