What is it about?
The article explains how Indigenous groups in Brazil defended their rights during a period when democracy was weakening, especially by using civil society organizations to compensate for failing government institutions. More specifically, the article details how the Articulação dos Povos Indígenas do Brasil (APIB) effectively replaced the compromised state agency FUNAI in resisisting democratic decline during the Bolsonaro government. By employing network analysis, the author demonstrates that APIB became the central mediator for Indigenous land rights, bridging the gap between local communities and judicial or international arenas.
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Why is it important?
This research is important because it help us to understand how civil society organizations can step in and help keep democracy functioning when the government fails. This is shown through the development of the concept of "collaborative resistance," which serves as a vital tool for protecting minority rights when formal institutions are captured by opposing interests.
Perspectives
Indigenous mobilization in Brazil during its democratic crisis illustrates how civil society can sustain democratic processes and defend vulnerable groups, even under hostile governments.
Dr. Helder Ferreira Do Vale
XianJiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU)
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Collaborative Resistance: How Civil Society Replaced the State in Brazil’s Land Conflicts, February 2026, Cambridge University Press,
DOI: 10.33774/apsa-2026-rjzdw.
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