Participatory Democracy in Brazil

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PARTICIPATORY DEMOCRACY IN BRAZIL

Socioeconomic and Political Origins

J . R ICARDO TRANJAN

University of Notre Dame PressNotre Dame, Indiana

© 2015 UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME

Copyright © 2016 by University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, Indiana 46556

www.undpress.nd.edu

All Rights Reserved

Manufactured in the United States of America

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Tranjan, J. Ricardo, author.Title: Participatory democracy in Brazil : socioeconomic and political

origins / J. Ricardo Tranjan.Description: Notre Dame, Indiana : University of Notre Dame Press, 2015. |

Includes bibliographical references and index.Identifiers: LCCN 2015031820 | ISBN 9780268042400 (pbk. : alk. paper) |

ISBN 0268042403 (pbk. : alk. paper)Subjects: LCSH: Political participation—Latin America. | Local government—

Latin America—Citizen participation. | Democracy—Latin America. | Political culture—Latin America. | Latin America—Politics

and government.Classification: LCC JL966 .T7 2015 | DDC 320.981—dc23

LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015031820

∞ The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines

for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources.

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C O N T E N T S

List of Abbreviations viiGlossary of Foreign Terms ix

Acknowledgments xi

Introduction 1

CHAPTER ONE

The Brazilian (Un)Representative System 33

CHAPTER TWO

Participatory Movements under Authoritarian Government 57

CHAPTER THREE

MDB Autênticos in Lages 91

CHAPTER FOUR

CEBs in Boa Esperança 117

CHAPTER F IVE

The PT in Diadema 149

CHAPTER S IX

The Tempering of Participatory Ideals and Practices 175

CHAPTER SEVEN

The Making of Participatory Democracy in Brazil 215

Notes 229Works Cited 235

Index 257

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vii

A B B R E V I A T I O N S

ANC National Constituent Assembly (Assembléia Nacional Constituinte)

ARENA National Renewal Alliance (Aliança Nacional Renovadora)CEB ecclesial base community (comunidade eclesiail de base)CEBRAP Brazilian Centre of Analysis and Planning (Centro Brasileiro

de Análise e Planejamento)CELAM Latin American Episcopal Council (Consejo Episcopal Latino-

americano) CDP popular democratic committee (comitê democrático popular) CLT Consolidate Labor Laws (Consolidação das Leis do Trabalho)CNBB National Conference of Brazilian Bishops (Conferência

Nacional dos Bispos do Brasil)IEPES Institute for Political, Economic and Social Studies (Instituto

de Estudos Políticos, Econômicos e Sociais)IDS Institute for Development StudiesISI Import Substitution Industrialization MDB Brazilian Democratic Movement (Movimento Democrático

Brasileiro)MST Landless Workers’ Movement (Movimento dos Trabalhado-

res Sem Terra) PB participatory budgeting (orçamento participativo)PCB Brazilian Communist Party (Partido Comunista Brasileiro)PCdoB Communist Party of Brazil (Partido Comunista do Brasil)PMDB Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (Partido do Movi-

mento Democrático Brasileiro)PRC Santa Catarina Republican Party (Partido Republicano

Catarinenese)

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viii Abbreviations

PRO Revolutionary Labor Party (Partido Revolucionário Operário) PRP Popular Representation Party (Partido de Representação

Popular)PSD Social Democratic Party (Partido Social Democrata)PSDB Brazilian Social Democratic Party (Partido da Social Demo-

cracia Brasileira)PSP Progressive Social Party (Partido Social Progressista)PT Workers’ Party (Partido dos Trabalhadores)PTB Brazilian Labor Party (Partido Trabalhista Brasileiro)SAB association of the friends of the neighborhood (sociedade de

amigos do bairro)UDN National Democratic Union (União Democrática Nacional)

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ix

G L O S S A R Y O F F O R E I G N T E R M S

autêntico (pl. autênticos): the more radical members of the Brazilian Democratic Movement

bandeirante (pl. bandeirantes): colonial scout cabo eleitoral (pl. cabos eleitorais): political canvassers caboclo (pl. caboclos): Brazilians of mixed European and indigenous

backgroundscelebração (pl. celebrações): the socializing part of religious gatherings conscientização: consciousness raising coronel (pl. coronéis): local strongmen diretório and sub-diretório (pl. diretórios): party city chapters and party

neighborhood chapters mutirão (pl. mutirões): self-construction projects, most often the building

of popular houses paulista (pl. paulistas): of, from, or pertaining to the state of São Paulopoliticagem: politicking pelego (pl. pelegos): co-opted union leader reinvidicação (pl. reinvidicações): a demand to public officials grounded

on moral or legal rights tenentismo: political movement of rebelling lieutenants in the first half of

the twentieth century vendeiro (pl. vendeiros): owner of the local supply store and middleman

of coffee trade

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xi

A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S

This book is based on a doctoral thesis completed at the Balsillie School of International Affairs, University of Waterloo, under the supervision of Frederick Bird and Kathryn Hochstetler. Fred provided unremitting support for this project since I began to conceptualize it. Notably, he sup-ported my decision to pursue a qualitative historical approach in a time when political science graduate students are pressured to adopt quantita-tive methods. Kathy shared her comprehensive and in-depth knowledge of Brazil, and continually pushed me to hone my arguments; she pro-vided decisive encouragement in the book proposal and manuscript revi-sion phases, which included the extensive rewriting of the original text.

William Nylen, Brian Wampler, and Philip Oxhorn provided invalu-able advice on how to turn a promising doctoral thesis into a publish-able book. They epitomized the best of academia by offering thoughtful, trenchant, and constructive criticism to a younger scholar while showing respect and admiration for my work. The content of their comments were instrumental in improving the quality of this book, and the manner in which they were delivered made the review process an extremely reward-ing experience. The latter can also be said about the editors of the Univer-sity of Notre Dame Press, with whom it has been a great pleasure to work.

Others at the Balsillie School have my most sincere gratitude. I had the privilege to have Rhoda Howard-Hassmann on my doctoral super-visory committee. She offered valuable guidance on how to make this research project accessible and relevant to non-Brazilianists. Eric Hel-leiner has been for many years a mentor and a model. He has taught me that academic research is not a zero-sum game. Andrew Thompson’s assis-tance was also instrumental in the completion of my thesis. And though spread across the globe, my cohort was always supportive. During my field research, I was hosted by the Núcleo de Pesquisas de Políticas Públi-cas da Universidade de São Paulo (NUPPs), where I partook in many

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xii Acknowledgments

stimulating academic events. I would like to thank José Álvaro Moisés for providing me with this opportunity and offering valuable comments on my research project. Charmain Levy and Paulo J. Krischke also took the time to read drafts of parts of this project and provided helpful com-ments. I am greatly indebted to my interviewees in Lages, Boa Esperança, and Diadema, including former mayors Dirceu Carneiro, Amaro Covre, and Gilson Menezes. The Centro de Documentação e Pesquisa Vergue-iro, headed by Luiza Peixoto, had a vital role in my field research. I also found valuable documents in the Centro de Memória de Diadema, the archive of the Instituto Brasileiro de Administração Municipal, and the personal archive of historian-activist Valdo Ruviaro.

Back in Canada, the John P. Robarts Library provided me with work-ing space next to the stacks on Brazilian history, which made my the-sis writing time much more productive. I revised the manuscript while teaching as a sessional lecturer at the Départment de science politique de l’Université du Québec à Montréal, where I had rich exchanges about participatory democracy and Brazilian politics with Caroline Patsias and Julián Durazo-Herrmann. My doctoral research was funded by the Bal-sillie School of International Affairs’ Balsillie Fellowship, and the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada’s Vanier Graduate Scholarship. I would like to thank these institutions for the financial sup-port that made this project possible.

My dearest friends Jayna Mitchell, Bruno Dobrusin, and Chris Allen have pondered with me for hours on end on the why and how of this endeavor. My partner Yamie came into my life in what is considered the most dreadful period of a doctoral program: the comprehensive exams. She made my life more joyful then, and thereafter, and shared me with this thesis/manuscript/book for five years—merci mon amour.

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