Braz. political sci. rev.2023;17(1):e0004.
Toward a new regime of civic interest representation
DOI: 10.1590/1981-3821202300010007
Among the themes frequently studied by Brazilian social movement’s scholars is the relationship between movements and the state. The Lula administrations (2003-2010) were marked by intense state-society interactions, which allowed for important theoretical and analytical advances (ABERS and BULOW, 2011; ABERS, SERAFIM and TATAGIBA, 2014; BLIKSTAD, 2012; DOWBOR, 2012; DOWBOR et al. 2018; GUTIERRES, 2018; GURZA LAVALLE et al., 2018; NASCIMENTO, 2012; SILVA and SCHMITT, 2012; SILVA and OLIVEIRA, 2011; TATAGIBA and TEIXEIRA, 2021; TEIXERA, 2013). The ‘mutual constitution’, the ‘repertoire of interaction’ via institutions, the ‘blurred boundaries’ between movements, and the ‘role of movements in public policy’ are examples of these advances. The book “State-sponsored Activism,” by the American researcher Jessica Rich, a product of her doctoral dissertation, contributes to this debate by presenting the case of the AIDS movement in Brazil, with a focus on the movement’s participation in the creation and implementation of the STD/AIDS Program between 1980 and 2010. Starting from a dynamic description of the trajectories of the movement and of the STD/AIDS Program, and drawing upon extensive empirical research, the author poses an original question: how and why does a social movement expand after its demands have been met by the state? To answer this question, Rich (2021) crafts an innovative argument about state-society relations: Brazil has a new regime of representation of civic interests, which she terms ‘civic corporatisme’. This regime, the author argues, is made possible by a confluence between neoliberal precepts and participatory institutions, and is produced by progressive bureaucrats at the federal level in alliance with the AIDS movement. […]
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