CEDH Learning Coffee with Viviane Borges

"Prison History and Memory in Brazil: Discomforts of the Present Time"

Speaker:
Viviane Borges, Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina (UDESC), CNPq Research Productivity Fellow (PQ).

12-02-2026 | 01:30 pm - 02:00 pm | Sala Porto

This research explores the history of prisons through the lens of the History of the Present Time, examining incarceration as a central mechanism of social control, state violence, and the management of inequality. Focusing on prison archives, especially prisoners’ writings and institutional records, the study highlights the political importance of prison memory and heritage. It demonstrates how practices of silencing and erasure coexist with resistance, memory activism, and public engagement, contributing to critical debates on mass incarceration, democracy, and social justice.

Note: This Learning Coffee session will be conducted in Portuguese only.