Brazilian society in motion: The voices from the streets and their political echoes

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyze both specificities and novelties in the June 2013 demonstrations in Brazil by means of a few key questions, namely: what their composition was, what identities, belonging, values, and ideologies they had; what they demanded, how they were articulated both internally and on an international level; what relations they had with the State, parties, and other social movements, how violence emerges in the demonstrations, what concept of democracy the activists had, how the idea of reforms was guided, etc. One central question is posited: why did a large mass of the population join the protests in June 2013? Initially, we reconstruct the demonstrations’ initial moments, particularly in São Paulo, as well as subsequent moments, according to their impacts on society and politics. Data sources are from systematized archives obtained through several media, interviews, public opinion surveys, and recent publications.