A call for international solidarity with researchers and scientists in Brazil

On Tuesday, 6th April 2021, Brazil reported 4,195 deaths from Covid. Altogether, there are more than 340,000 deaths recorded since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country. If the coronavirus affects all countries on the globe, President Jair Bolsonaro must be held responsible for the catastrophic management of the crisis in Brazil, which not only helped to increase the number of deaths but accentuated the inequalities in the country.

At many times, the president of Brazil referred to Covid-19 as a “measly cold”, dismissing the dangers posed by coronavirus. Bolsonaro criticized and undermined preventive measures, such as physical isolation and the use of masks, and on several occasions incited social gatherings while speaking to his supporters. He even spread the use of hydroxychloroquine, although scientists warned of the toxic effects of using the drug to fight Covid. Researchers who published studies that demonstrated that the use of the hydroxychloroquine increased the risk of death in patients with Covid were even threatened in Brazil. Bolsonaro also discouraged vaccination, even suggesting, for example, that people could become an "alligator". Amid strategies of negationism, proliferation of fake news and attacks on science, the Brazilian president replaced four times, in the midst of pandemic crisis, the minister of health.

Science in Brazil is under attack: on the one hand multiple budget cuts that threaten research; on the other the instrumentalization of science for electoral purposes, as shown by the president's statements discrediting the work of scientists during the pandemic crisis. These attacks, however, go beyond the context of Covid-19. It is important to highlight for instance Bolsonaro's attacks on the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe) after Amazon deforestation data rankled President Bolsonaro.

By attacking science, Bolsonaro not only hurts the scientific community, but the entire Brazilian society: the records of deaths by Covid in the context of the pandemic crisis are daily in the country, according to Fiocruz, 92 variants of coronavirus have been identified in Brazil, to that we can add the impacts on the environment, indigenous and traditional communities in the Amazon and the global climate.

In a context of the Covid-19 crisis, worsening inequalities, climate change, this type of conduct is unacceptable and the author must be held accountable. We are concerned with the worsening of the pandemic crisis in Brazil, with the attacks on science. With this open letter we, academics from all over the world, demonstrate our solidarity with colleagues in Brazil, whose freedoms are threatened and with the Brazilian population that is affected daily by this destructive policy.

THE SIGNATORIES:

Glenda Santana de Andrade, ATER Université Paris-Nanterre, doctoral student CRESPPA-GTM, Université Paris 8, France

Sylvie Chiousse, scientific director of the review Esprit critique, France

Juliana Kiyomura Moreno, Doctoral student en cotutelle Université Paris 8/Universidade de São Paulo USP, Brazil/France

Michelle Franco Redondo, Membre Laboratoire d'Études de Genre et de Sexualité (Legs), France

Pierre Veltz, Emeritus professor, École des ponts ParisTech, France

Angelo Soares, Professor titulaire, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada

Alladatin Judicaël, Professor, UM6P, Maroc

Zoé Tinturier, Doctoral student IEP de Bordeaux, France

Eddine Bouyahi, Doctoral student, Northwestern University/SciencesPo, France

Soma Rostampour, Doctoral student, CRESPPA-GTM, France

Sevilla Ariel, Senior lecturer, Université de Reims, France

David Dumoulin, Professor Sociologie, Université Sorbonne Nouvelle - IHEAL, France

Papa Sakho, Professor, directeur du Laboratoire de géographie humaine, Université Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar, Senegal

Momar Diongue, Senior lecturer, Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar, Senegal

Pierre Salama, Emeritus professor, Université Sorbonne-Paris Nord, France

Solène Marié, Responsable de la Coopération Internationale, CNRS-InSHS, France

Francisco Alambert, Professor, USP, Brazil

Evelyn Nakano Glenn, Professor, University of California, Berkeley, United States

Paola Diaz, Sociologist, COES-CEMS, France

Maria Montanez, Researcher, Belgique

Jean-Pierre Durand, Professor, Université d'Evry Paris-Saclay, France

Valeria Ribeiro Corossacz, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Italy

Isabelle Charpentier, Professore des Universités en Sociologie - Université de Picardie - Jules Verne (Amiens - France)

Maria Vicenta Haro Matas, Doctoral student, EHESS, Paris, France

Yasmine Siblot, Professore de sociologie, Université Paris 8, France

François Boureau, Doctoral student en sociologie, Université Paris 8, France

Antoine Guégan, Doctoral student, Université de Lyon, France

Emmanuelle Picard, Senior lecturer, ENS de Lyon, France

Cornelia Moser, Chargée de recherche, CNRS, France

Samantha Joeck, Doctoral student, EHESS, France

Brigitte Chamak, Researcher, Université de Paris, France

Mirjana Morokvasic Muller, Directrice de recherche émérite, CNRS, France

Wenceslas Lizé, Sociologist, Université de Poitiers, France

Juan Felipe Duque, Doctoral student, Sciences Po Grenoble, France

Dr Monish Bhatia, lecturer in Criminology and Criminal Justice, Birkbeck, University of London, United Kingdom

Victoria Canning, Senior lecturer, University of Bristol, United Kingdom

Francesca Esposito Researcher, Instituto de Ciências Sociais da Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal

Danielle Ranciere, Philosophe, Éducation Nationale, France

Daniel Altmann, Professor, Faculté de Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom

Carolina Adaros, Doctoral student, Birmingham City University, United Kingdom

Jacques Rancière, Professor honoraire, Université Paris 8, France

Catherine Marry, Sociologist, CNRS, France

Jules Falquet, Maîtresse de conférences en Sociologie, Université de Paris, França

Felipe Kaiser Fernandes, Doctoral student (IIAC EHESS) - CEFRES, France

Marie-Laure Basilien-Gainche, Professor de droit, Université Jean Moulin Lyon 3, France

Danièle Linhart, Sociologist, directrice de recherche émérite, CNRS, France

Angeliki Drongiti, Docteure en sociologie, Cresppa-CSU, France

Leandro França, Doctoral student, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal

Johann Cailhol, Université Paris 13, UR3412, France

Anaenza Freire Marescs, Médecin Infectiologue APHP Paris France

Yannis Papadopoulos, Researcher, IMS-FORTH, Greece

Izadora Xavier, Docteure, Freie Universität, Germany

Odile HenryProfessore des Universités, Paris 8, France

Helena Hirata, Directrice de recherche émérite, CRESPPA-GTM-CNRS, France

Gustavo Beritognolo, Chargé de cours, Université d'Ottawa, Canada

Luc Bouganim, Researcher, Inria, France

Mariana Ramos Pitta Lima, Doctoral student en Santé Publique/Université Fédérale de Bahia/Brazil

Valeria Ingenito, Doctoral student, Università di Napoli L'Orientale, Italy

Fanny Jedlicki, Senior lecturer, Université Rennes 2, France

María Mercedes Di Virgilio, Researcher, Universidad de Buenos Aires/ CONICET, Argentina

Gaide Aden, ATER en sociologie, Université de Tours, France

Blandine Destremau, Directrice de recherche, CNRS, France

Hélène Nicolas, Senior lecturer, Université Paris 8, France

Emilie BlancATER, Université Lyon 2, France

1. Mariquian Ahouansou, Enseignante vacataire, American University of Paris, France

Sara Garbagnoli, Researcher en études de genre, Legs, France

Soraya Silveira Simões, Professore, UFRJ, Brazil

Engin Isin, Professor, Queen Mary University of London, United Kingdom

Atenea Rosado, Doctoral student, University of Pennsylvania, United States

Bruno Dupeyron, Professor, University of Regina, Canada

Helen Hintjens, Senior lecturer, International Institute of Social Studies (Erasmus University) The Hague, The Netherlands

Emmanuel Bellanger, Directeur de recherche, CNRS, France

Susan McGrath C.M., Professore émérite, York University, Canada

Richard Toppo, Doctoral student, ISS, The Hague,

Yukari Sekine, Doctoral student, International Institute of Social Studies, The Netherlands

Ana Carolina Maciel, Researcher, UNICAMP, Brazil

João Ribeiro Medeiros, Doctoral student, CBPF, Brazil

Federica de Cordova, Researcher, Università di Verona, Italy

Benjamin Leclercq, Doctoral student, Université Paris 8, France

Nouria Ouali, Professore à l'Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgique

Florent Pasquier, Senior lecturer, Sorbonne Université, France

Patricia Lambert, Professore, École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, France

Mathilde Moaty, Doctoral student au LATTS, Université Gustave Eiffel, France

Nadia Vargaftig, Senior lecturer, Université de Reims, France

Marie Segonne, Doctoral student, Université Paris 8, France

Odile Hoffmann, Directrice de Recherche, IRD Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, France

Daniela Andrade, Doctoral student, Institute of Social Studies, The Netherlands

Nina Gren, Senior lecturer, Lund University, Sweden

Doi Ra, Doctoral student, Institute of Social Studies, Myanmar

Romain Gallart, Researcher associé, Université Paris Nanterre, France

Marie-Pierre Julien, Senior lecturer, Université de Lorraine - Nancy - France

Laurine Sézérat, Researchere/Université Paris 8/France

Laura Madrid Sartoretto,  Professore, UFRGS, Brazil

Diego Lasio, Researcher, Universidade de Cagliari, Italy

Marie Walter-Franke, Doctoral student, Free University of Berlin, Germany

Julianna Colonna, Doctoral student, Université de Pau, France

Renata Cavalcanti Muniz, Doctoral student, ISS - Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands

K CheneySenior lecturer, Intl Inst of Social Studies, The Hague, The Netherlands

Armelle Jacquemot, Enseignante-researcher/Université de Poitiers/France

Luin Goldring, Professor en sociologie, York University, Canada

Anne Sauvagnargues, Professore philosophie, Université Paris Nanterre, France

Alexandra Mirowski Rabelo de Souza, Doctoral student, York University, Canada

João Villaverde, Doctoral student en Administration Publique et Gouvernement, EAESP-FGV, Brazil

Leonardo Bueno, Researcher, FGV EAESP, Brazil

Mi Medrado,  Doctoral student, Ucla, United States

Octavio de Barros, Économiste, Fondateur de l'association República do Amanhã-Brasil, Brazil

Grace Barakat, Doctoral student, York University, Canada

Luana da Silva Ribeiro, Doctoral student en économie, UNESP - Brazil

Marcos Roberto dos Santos Professor, FAMP, Brazil

Virginie Baby-Collin, Professor Géographie, Université d'Aix-Marseille , France

Oane Visser, Senior lecturer, ISS of Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Brian C.J. Singer, Professor, Glendon College, York University, Canada

Fabio Pucci, Doctoral student, UFSCar, Brazil

Barbara Poggio, Professor, University of Trento, Italy

Amber-Lee Varadi, Doctoral student, York University, Canada

Roberto Leher, Professor, UFRJ, Brazil

Jean-Marc Pétillon, Researcher, CNRS, France

Georges Flexor, Docteur, UFRRJ, Brazil

Liliana Petrilli Segnini, Professore en Sociologie, Unicamp, Brazil

José Artur dos Santos Ferreira, Professor, UFOP, Brazil

Herb Arst, Emeritus professor en génétique microbienne, Imperial College London, United Kingdom

Laura Corradi, Sociologist, Università della calabria, Italy

Nicolas Bautes, Enseignant researcher, Géographe, France

Stéphanie Deboeuf, Researcher, CNRS, France

Martinet Gilles, ATER à l'UPEC, France

Georges Benguigui Researcher, CNRS, France

Christophe Baticle, Socio-anthropologue, UPJV, France

Anny King, Fellow, Churchill College, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom

Benvindo Manima,Masterant, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Brazil

Héloïse Nez, Maîtresse de conférences en sociologie, Université de Tours, France

Tulio Matencio, Professor Titulaire, Universidade Fédéral de Minas Gerais, Brazil

Luís Carlos Moro, Secrétaire Général/Association Américaine des Juristes/Continental

Laurent Gil, Professor, UFOP, Brazil

Michel Mayor, Emeritus professor, University of Geneva, Suisse – 2019 Nobel prize-winner  in Physics

Cecile Lefevre, Professor, Université de Paris, France

Claudio Luis Donnici, Professor, UFMG, Brazil

Sophie Pène, Professor, université de Paris, France

Marilia Oliveira Fonseca Goulart, Professor, Universidade Federal de Alagoas, Brazil

Sandra Sawaya, Professore, USP, Brazil

Charles Rice, Professor, The Rockefeller University, United States – 2020 Nobel prize-winner in medicine 

Cristiane Maria Cornelia Gottschalk, Professore, USP, Brazil

Danièle Kergoat, Sociologist, CNRS, Paris

Ricardo Olimpio de Moura, Professor, Universidade Estadual da Paraíba, Brèsil

Luciana dos Santos Duarte, Doctoral student- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais / International Institute of Social Studies - Brazil/The Netherlands

Steffen Fischer, Researcher, Greenside Design Center (Johannesburg), Afrique du Sud

Janaína Vieira, Masterante, USP, Brazil

Marco Bacio, Doctoral student, University of Milan, Italy

Heike Drotbohm, Professor d'anthropologie, University of Mainz, Germany

Luc Bonte, Président de la asbl FONCABA, Belgique

Peter Wagner, Professor/Researcher, ICREA and University of Barcelona, Espagne

Christian Lavault, Emeritus professor, Université Sorbonne Paris 12, France

Simonne Teixeira, Enseignante, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Brazil

Renee Sylvain, Professor, University of Guelph, Canada

Paulina Garcia Del MoralSenior lecturer, University of Guelph, Canada

Marie Chenet, Senior lecturer, Université Panthéon-Sorbonne , France

Marina Cadaval, Doctoral student ISS-EUR The Netherlands, The Netherlands

Romain Busnel, Docteur en science politique, Université de Lille, France

Artemisa Flores Espinola, MCF en sociologie, Université Paris-Est Créteil, France

Daniela Cherubini Researcher contractuelle, UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI MILANO-BICOCCA, Italy

Yolande Benarrosh, Professore en Sociologie, Université d'Aix-Marseille, France

Vicente Martínez Barrios, Professor associé, Universidade de Brasília, Brazil

Daniel Cefai, Directeur d'études de l'EHESS, France

Gianmaria Colpani, Docteur, Utrecht University, The Netherlands

Stefania Voli, Researcher, Università di Milano Bicocca, Italy

Carlos Corredor, Recteur, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Colombie

Aurélie Damamme, Maîtresse de conférences, Université Paris 8, France

MF Deligne, IE/CNRS/France

Chantal François, Researcher, INSERM, Paris, FRANCE

Matteo Botto, Doctoral student, University of Genoa, Italy

Rita Monticelli, Professor, University of Bologna, Italy

Carmela Ferrara, Doctoral student, University of Napoli Federico II, Italy

Maria Peixoto, Doctoral student, OntarioTech University, Canada

Chiara Paglialonga, Doctoral student, University of Padua, Italy

Yazid Ben Hounet, Chargé de recherche CNRS, Laboratoire d'Anthropologie Sociale, Paris, France

Claude Calame, Prof. Dr, Ecole des Hautes Etudes en sciences sociales, Paris, France

Rose-Marie Lagrave, Directrice d'études à l'EHESS, Paris, France

Christelle Rabier, Maîtresse de conférences, EHESS (Marseille), France

Sophie Bobbé, Anthropologue, École des hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, France

Carmen Lucia Soares, Professore, Unicamp, Brazil

Angela Aisenstein, Maîtresse de conférences, Universidad Nacional de Luján, Argentine

ROCIO GUADARRAMA OLIVERA, Professore-Researchere, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Mexique

Geraldine Jourdain, Doctoral student, ICU, Japon

Giuseppe Burgio, Professore, Università "Kore" di Enna, Italy

Zeynep Kaşlı, Senior lecturer, International Institute of Social Studies, The Netherlands

Manuel Moreno, Enseignante, Universidad Nacional de Luján, Argentine

Brigitte Morand, Enseignante researcher, Université Clermont Auvergne, France

Vincenza Perilli, Researcher précaire - Italy

Fernando Bomfim Mariana,Enseignant, Universidade de Brasília, Brazil

Maria Arminda do Nascimento Arruda, Professor Titulaire de Sociologie, USP, Brazil

Dr. Conor Douglas, Senior lecturer, York University, Canada

Julie Sedel, Maîtresse de conférences, Université de Strasbourg, France

Laura Lucia Parolin, Senior lecturer, University of Southern Denmark, Danemark

Yolaine Gassier, Doctoral student, Université d'Aix-Marseille, France

Sharie Neira Rios, Doctoral student Université de Paris, France

Pierre Bataille, Senior lecturer/UGA/France

Frédéric Lebaron, Professor de sociologie ENS Paris-Saclay, France

Inês Bragança, Professor, Unicamp, Brazil

Kaja Antlej, Maître de conférence, Deakin University, Australie

Alberica Bazzoni, Researcher, ICI Berlin Institute for Cultural Inquirt, Germany

Peter Ratcliffe, Director of clinical research, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom – 2019 Nobel prize-winner in medicine

Sandra Challin, Engineer, CNRS, Paris, France

Romain Leclercq, Université Paris 8 - Vincennes - Saint-Denis, France

Maira Abreu, post-doctoral student, USP/Cresppa Brazil/France

Elodie Picard, Engineer - CNRS / OpenEdition - France