Dilemmas for culture and democracy in contemporary Brazil

Abstract

The culture and democracy agenda is both a global characteristic and a feature of contemporary Brazil. Democracy dominates the current scenario through a complex set of variants that have given rise to a debate between possible complementarities and obvious contradictions. In today’s world, democracy has established itself as an (almost) universal value, albeit through versions and visions that often contrast and conflict. Hence the fierce disputes that take place in its name, concerning both its definition and delimitation. In modern times, countless conflicts reflect its omnipresence and omnipotence. In short, its hegemony as an (almost) universally claimed value, is based on the concept of one-size-fits-all. Everyone demands and proclaims democracy, but, as has been noted, such manifestations are characterized by intense struggles over its definition and delimitation. Thus, democracy and its conflicts have become central to the current national and international scene. With culture, something similar takes place, though less intensely, since it comes from a less contentious arena.