From the Indigenous Village to the International Arena: Indigenous Peoples' Resistance during the Brazilian Military Dictatorship and Its Aftermath

Indigenous peoples from Brazil are key actors in the global political arena in the fight for environmental justice and against climate change. The conquest of this space is the product of a historical process that had a crucial development during the military dictatorship in Brazil (1964-1985) when Indigenous leaders started to take the international stage to raise their voices against state-led infrastructure projects and human rights violations perpetrated by the authoritarian regime.

Drawing on the trajectories of several Indigenous leaders during the 1970s and early 1990s, my paper traces the history of the international side of Indigenous activism and resistance. I analyze how the international arena, understood not only as the space outside of Brazil but also the dispute for the attention of the foreign eye, became a battleground where Indigenous peoples sought to defend their rights, lifeways, and the environment against several threats. I show how their engagement in international conferences, forums, and tribunals, participation in diverse media forms directed to the non-Brazilian public, along with coalitions with foreign and domestic actors played a strategic role in galvanizing international support for their cause and setting the agenda at the national level.

I conclude by highlighting the importance of looking at these forms of resistance that emerged during the military dictatorship to understand the prospects of the current mobilization strategies on their ongoing struggles in Brazil.