"This research performs a thematic analysis on tweets published during Brazil’s 2018 elections that mentioned communism. The idea was to identify the linkages to other underlying themes that emerged during what we saw as the Twitter ‘virality of communism’ and interpret them considering the ba ... ckdrop of anti-communist discourses in the country. The results show that political polarisation, distrust of democracy, criticism of the left and praise of militarism and religion are the most recurrent themes. We conclude by situating the virality of the term ‘communism’ as a process that follows a context of disinformation and hopelessness, but which also relates to the legitimate concerns of Brazilian voters." (Abstract) more

"Brazil has a strong legacy in the field of participatory communication and articulation of bottom-up development processes. Many innovative experiences and key conceptual foundations that have enriched and informed this field in Latin America and beyond have strong Brazilian roots. A reference of ... seminal importance to the field has been Paulo Freire, whose liberating pedagogy and principles of dialogic communication have influenced generations of educators, activists, movements and governments across the world. In a controversial move, the current government in Brazil has explicitly declared its intention to erase any trace of Freire’s pedagogy from any policy and practice in the country. It sparks the question: what is so dangerous about Freire’s ideas? This special issue explores this question in articulation with another one that seeks to examine how relevant –beyond the borders of pedagogical fields– are his ideas for Brazil as well as other settings where social and political perspectives clash. This issue is an outcome of a seminar held at Loughborough University London, in June 2019, where around 30 participants concluded that the ideas of Paulo Freire are still alive and kicking but confronted with new and transformed challenges. The collection of articles here suggests that the danger of Freire’s ideas emerge from their perspective upon society, their inherent vision of change, and, in particular, from the methods Freire developed in order to build a just society of emancipated and equal members. The special issue consists of six articles. They place the debate about Freire’s ideas in the context of development and social change, populism, polarization, but also of resistance. In this sense, the debate around the Brazilian case is illustrative of a larger historical framework. How Freire’s ideas can be expanded, re-written –as he might have proposed– under the experience of current times of such asymmetrical power?" (Page 408) more