Helton Levy

Book review: Activism on the web – Everyday struggles against digital capitalism by Veronica Barassi

As we witness phenomena such as Momentum, Labour’s digital assemblage that pushed for Jeremy Corbyn in the 2017 General Election, we might want to remove digital activism out of commonplace. Beyond the rhetorics of the “phenomenon”, “social media-led change”, scholars have challenged the actual ICTs penetration in these activist realms by contrasting their relationship with… — read more

Jul 17, 2017

Book review – British Representations of Latin America, Luz Elena Ramirez

While not officially part of the British Empire, interactions between Britain and Latin America have existed in reports, literary accounts, and detail-rich descriptions. Reading a variety of 19th century British writers, we find similarities in reports from many distinct countries that constitute what we call by Latin America; countries as distinct from each other as… — read more

Jul 17, 2017

Natives at the 2017 Venice Biennale

To pay homage to the world’s indigenous communities, the Biennale creates unnecessary mysticism The 57th Venice Biennale decided to dedicate a large pavilion of its Arsenale section to the art of native communities around the world. An example of this incursion is the large embroidered hut designed by Brazilian artist Ernesto Neto, entitled “Um Sagrado… — read more

Jun 7, 2017

Looking at past favela mediators

It is impressive how the situation has changed in Brazil’s favelas over the last decades. In the 1950s, it was common to find bishops and other charismatic leaders brokering dialogue between favela dwellers, mainstream society, and the state. They used to ask authorities for food support, or helped to halt evictions, often protesting police violence.… — read more

Mar 12, 2017