Strategies of Resistance: Lessons learned from the defense of academic freedom and democracy in Brazil
Posted March 23, 2026
Webinar
March 4th, 2026
12:00 PM NY/ 14:00 BRT
The Coalition for Academic Freedom in the Americas (CAFA) in collaboration with Scholars at Risk (SAR), convened a timely webinar exploring lessons from Brazil’s defense of academic freedom and democracy during the recent periods of democratic backsliding. Bringing together diverse perspectives from civil society and academia, the discussion focused on the profound impact of democratic erosion on universities, scholars, and public institutions during the 2019-2022 Bolsonaro administration.
The discussion highlighted how human rights, academic, and democracy networks fought back, and the innovative strategies they developed that worked best in resisting these pressures. By sharing lessons and strategies the webinar aimed to provide a roadmap for audiences around the world currently facing similar legislative and institutional pressures.
Opening the event, Camilla Croso, Regional Director of CAFA, defined “academic freedom as a fundamental human right and cornerstone of democratic life.” She emphasized that academic freedom is not only an individual right held by scholars but a “collective right that belongs to students and society as a whole,” providing the rigorous, evidence-based knowledge necessary to “confront the major challenges of our time, from climate change to social inequality.”
She notably highlighted the 2019-2022 period in Brazil as a stark example of “institutional dismantling” in which universities faced political interference in governance, harassment of scholars, and restrictions on civic space. She stressed that, in a moment when many countries are experiencing “democratic backsliding, the erosion of university autonomy, and increasing attacks on scholars, students, and institutions,” the defense of academic freedom has become “more urgent than ever.”
To further explore these lessons, Camilla introduced Kim Lane Scheppele, Professor of Sociology and International Affairs at Princeton University along with constitutional law expert Conrado Hübner Mendes and Flávia Pellegrino of Pacto pela Democracia, both of whom were instrumental in speaking out against democratic backsliding during the Bolsonaro administration.
Kim Lane Scheppele, who moderated the discussion, contextualized Brazil’s experience within a broader global pattern of democratic erosion. She presented the Brazilian case as both a warning and a source of hope. Brazil experienced a sharp decline in academic freedom, however, it also demonstrated the power of coordinated collective resistance. Through electoral accountability, civil society mobilization, and institutional resistance it successfully pushed back on authoritarian advances. Following this framing, Kim invited the speakers to reflect on the nature of the attacks and the forms of resilience that emerged in reaction to those attacks.
Flávia Pellegrino, Executive Director of Pacto pela Democracia described that attacks on academic freedom do not happen in vacuum. In Brazil, they were part of a larger anti-democratic and political crisis taking place in the last decade. She argued that the rise of Bolsonaro was within a context of political crisis, anti-system sentiment, decline in institutional trust and a deliberate rejection of democracy’s fundamental principles. Despite Bolsonaro’s defeat in 2022, damage to democratic trust and public discourse remains significant. The polarization, mistrust, and social fractures deepened during that period continue to shape Brazil’s political environment.
Flávia highlighted the significance of cross-sector coalition-building as a strategy of resistance. She explained that Pacto pela Democracia, a coalition that was formed before Bolsonaro’s elections; in response to early signs that Brazil’s democratic systems were experiencing cracks. They brought together organizations with different agendas, political identities, and strategies around a common mission; to defend democracy. A key milestone for this partnership was blocking a government measure targeting freedom of association; by collaborating with universities to provide rigorous research, the coalition drafted alternative legislation that was eventually approved by Congress. Flávia shared the example to highlight that cross-sectoral coalitions could be more effective than individual actions.
Conrado Hübner Mendes, Professor of Constitutional Law at the University of São Paulo provided an analysis of the structural inequalities that influence both vulnerability and resistance in the Brazilian university’s system. While state institutions benefited from constitutional budget protections and a greater degree of autonomy, federal universities faced direct resource cuts and political interference in the selection of the university’s leadership.
Conrado also noted that public university professors in Brazil, as public employees, benefit from a degree of job stability that provides an important layer of protection for academic freedom. This stands in contrast to much of the private sector, where scholars have far fewer institutional safeguards.
Reflecting on his personal experience as a target of legal harassment, Conrado acknowledged that he had certain protections such as his institutional position, legal expertise, and access to support systems that many of his colleagues lack. Although he received international solidarity, he used his case to highlight a deeper systemic challenge: the fact that universities often fail to provide the necessary legal and professional infrastructure to defend their staff, leaving the burden of resistance on the individual rather than the institution.
This highlights the critical need for the kind of cross-sectoral coalitions Flávia mentioned, as Conrado noted that universities currently lack the organized support for scholars under threat. While individual scholars often condemn attacks, seek legal defense on their own, their institutions lack formal mechanisms needed to support them. This systemic gap leaves academics even more vulnerable especially in politically motivated cases or those situated outside of elite institutions or major urban centers. Conrado emphasized that because most universities handle these threats as isolated incidents, academic communities remain unorganized and unable to respond collectively to such threats.
Jack Mayerhofer, of Scholars at Risk, concluded the discussion by reflecting on the broader significance of the conversation. He underlined that attacks on academic freedom are rarely isolated incidents and that the strategies developed in one context can offer valuable lessons in another. Additionally, he highlighted the growing role of regional coalitions, including CAFA and similar regional coalitions in Africa and Southeast Asia, in sharing strategies, strengthening solidarity, and expanding protection for scholars at risk.
Brazil’s experience demonstrates that attacks on universities are often part of wider crackdown on civil society and broader assaults on democratic institutions. At the same time, the webinar offered a practical roadmap for other countries across the Americas currently confronting similar pressures on their scholars and democratic norms.
- Academic freedom must be understood as a fundamental human right and a foundational pillar for both democratic life and the public good.
- Defending academic freedom requires more than legal protection. Defending it demands a multi-faceted ecosystem of response that includes public advocacy, stronger institutional support for scholars, and collective mobilization within academia.
- Effective resistance against threats to academic freedom would involve bringing together the private sector, civil society, and academia to leverage their collective social and political capital.
- Universities must move beyond symbolic solidarity and establish formal functional mechanisms to protect scholars at risk.
- Regional coalitions across the Americas, Africa, Southeast Asia and similar networks are essential for sharing strategies and expanding protection for scholars that need resources.
Overall, the webinar reaffirmed Camilla Croso’s central message that academic freedom is not an isolated professional privilege but a foundational pillar for both democratic life and the public good.
Watch the full recording of the webinar: SAR Youtube