Lemann Center for Brazilian Studies
Welcome to the Lemann Center for Brazilian Studies!
The Lemann Center promotes the multidisciplinary study of Brazil by offering fellowships to UIUC and Brazilian students, funding faculty collaboration and research, organizing international conferences, and supporting cultural programming. Established in 2009 through a generous gift from Jorge Paulo Lemann and family, the center draws upon a half-century of sustained research and collaboration between Illinois and Brazilian scholars. To learn more, visit our About Us page.
Upcoming Events
Center Highlights and News
Caribbean Amazônia: race, labor, and empire
What can a railroad reveal about the making of modern Brazil? Caribbean Amazônia examines the Madeira-Mamoré Railway, a U.S.-funded project built on Indigenous Amazonian land by racialized workers from Brazil and the Caribbean between 1870 and 1943. Drawing on the work of Lélia Gonzalez and Abdias do Nascimento, the research connects Indigenous and African-descendant histories to examine how the railway shaped racial hierarchy, gender norms, Brazilian state-making, and U.S. empire-building. This research is being conducted by Owen MacDonald, a PhD candidate in History and a former Lemann Center Graduate Fellow.
Family ties and healthy aging in Brazil
Brazil is rapidly aging, with limited welfare infrastructure to support healthy aging. Professor of Social Work Flavia Andrade and her colleagues published a study in Social Science & Medicine using data from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSI-Brazil). The study examines demographic and social changes in the availability of close kin and potential opportunities to enhance survival among older adults in Brazil. They found that lacking both traditional family ties presents the highest mortality risk. Among men, having children but lacking a partner was also associated with elevated mortality risk.
Please find more information on below website:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953626002595?via%3Dihub
National leadership in Portuguese language education
Director of the Portuguese Language Program Raquel Goebel has been elected Chair of the Portuguese Special Interest Group of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). ACTFL is the largest and most comprehensive language education organization in the U.S. In this national leadership role, Raquel will help advance dialogue, collaboration, and professional development among Portuguese language educators across the country. Her election recognizes her leadership in Portuguese language education and strengthens the University of Illinois’ contributions to the field.
