60 years since the 1964 coup in Brazil| Interview with Fernando Perlatto Bom Jardim

Abstract

Fernando Petlatto Bom Jardim, a professor at the Federal University of Juiz de Fora, discusses the importance of reevaluating the 1964 coup and the period of dictatorship in Brazil. He highlights a growth in research on the subject, driven by the establishment of the National Truth Commission in 2012 and the strengthening of far-right groups. Petlatto identifies six "interpretative turns" in current research: 1) a "temporal turn" that contextualizes 1964 in a long history of authoritarianism in Brazil; 2) a "chronological turn" that questions milestones of the dictatorship; 3) a "civil turn" that examines the participation of civil society in the coup; 4) a "daily turn" that investigates the experience of ordinary people under the dictatorship; 5) the "resistance turn," which values ​​struggles beyond armed resistance; and 6) the "geographic turn," which decenters the study of the period in relation to large urban centers. Regarding Transitional Justice, Petlatto criticizes its limited implementation and the need for a “paradigm of presence” that recognizes progress despite the restrictions imposed by the Amnesty Law. He notes authoritarian continuities in Brazilian society, emphasizing the importance of vigilance and strengthening memory and justice policies to avoid democratic setbacks.