Newcomers, Strivers and Tricksters in the Making of Rio de Janeiro
Bush House South East Wing, Strand Campus, London
Join the King's Brazil Institute for a talk by Professor Bryan McCann on Newcomers, Strivers and Tricksters in the Making of Rio de Janeiro, as part of his upcoming book and Brazil Week 2025. Dr Andreza Aruska de Souza Santos will be attending the event as a discussant.
About the speaker
Bryan McCann
Bryan McCann teaches courses on Latin America, particularly Brazil, as well as thematic courses on Global History. He has published works on a wide range of topics in Modern Brazilian and Urban History. His books investigate the history of favelas and their relationship to the broader city in Rio de Janeiro, the history of Brazilian radio and popular music, the transformation of Brazil since the 1980s, and the nature of the informal city in Latin America. His current research explores Disaster Politics in Recent Brazil, exploring the serial tragedies of Boate Kiss (2013), Mariana (2015), Museu Nacional (2018) and Brumadinho (2019) as both emblematic of and consequential for Brazil's recent trajectory. The research explores the political, social, cultural and legal contexts and implications of these four national tragedies.
About the book
His upcoming book Rio de Janeiro explores the centrality of slavery to every aspect of life in nineteenth century Rio and its long legacy through to the current day, illuminating both the city's grinding inequality and violence, as well as its triumphant cultural expressions. Rio de Janeiro is a unique and fascinating city, and through ten pivotal moments, the book reveals its boundless creativity and contradictions, and shows how it has been continually remade by newcomers, strivers, and tricksters.
About the discussant
Dr Andreza Aruska de Souza Santos
Andreza is Director of the King's Brazil Institute. She completed her PhD in Social Anthropology at the University of St Andrews, and holds a master’s degree in social sciences jointly awarded by the University of Freiburg, JNU in Delhi, and the University of KwaZulu Natal, in Durban. Andreza completed her bachelor’s degree in political science at the University of Brasilia. Having studied in Brazil, Germany, South Africa, India and the UK, Andreza writes about Brazilian politics and city governance comparatively. Before joining King's, she was a lecturer at the University of Oxford and at Oxford she directed the Brazilian Studies Programme (2018-2023). Before that, she was a postdoctoral researcher at Oxford’s School of Anthropology, where she worked at the Urban Transformations portfolio (ESRC). She has previously worked at Brazil’s Ministry of Social Development, the United Nations Office on Drugs.
About King's Brazil Week
Hosted by the King's Brazil Institute, King’s Brazil Week is an annual celebration of all things Brazilian.
During Brazil Week 2025, we discuss the emergence of new institutional frameworks and leadership models. When traditional powers lean toward authoritarianism, can cities and the Global South take the lead in securing effective global governance?
Find out more about Brazil Week
At this event
Director, King's Brazil Institute
Search for another event