Public Space and Political Conflicts

From Disputes over Identities and Territorialities to the Brasília Wall (2013–2016)

Abstract

This article analyzes Brazilian public space as a territory of political disputes, focusing on the protests that occurred between 2013 and 2016 and the resulting social and spatial reconfigurations. Streets and squares, more than mere backdrops, operate as arenas where political identities are formed, made visible, and contested, mediated by interaction networks that connect subjects, territorialities, and aesthetic repertoires. The analysis of spaces such as Avenida Paulista, Copacabana, Cinelândia, and the Esplanada dos Ministérios highlights the intertwining of aesthetics and politics in the production of urban disputes. The analytical trajectory culminates in an examination of the “Brasília Wall,” a material and symbolic representation of strategies aimed at controlling and neutralizing dissent, synthesizing the challenges faced in the struggle for public space and political visibility in recent Brazilian history.