In Defense of Democracy: The legal response to the January 8 coup-attempt in Brazil as a political event

In my PhD, I reflect on the implications of state responses to right-wing violence. I focus specifically on the legal response to the January 8 insurrection in Brazil, where supporters of Bolsonaro stormed government buildings in Brasília. The state is a central analytical category in my project, as is the role of emotions and rationality in the courtroom. I want to follow the court cases and their representations as they move from the courtroom and into different 'publics'. Thereby, I hope to reflect upon some of the complications arising when courts and their professionals are asked to solve fundamentally political crises and conflicts in our present moment.

My PhD is part of a Graduate School based in Gothenburg University: The Future of Democracy - Illiberal Populism in Times of Crises (FUDEM).