P Peace and Conflict in Brazil Marcos Alan S. V. Ferreira Department of International Relations, Federal University of Paraiba (UFPB), Joao Pessoa, Brazil Definition The Federative Republic of Brazil is a country located in South America, the largest in its subre- gion and the fifth in the world in terms of size. Its history is marked by colonization by Portugal between 1500 and 1822, a monarchic period from 1822 to 1889, followed by the Republican era lasting from 1889 to the present. Unlike the image of peace and joy that often permeates the country due to its low participation in interna- tional conflicts, Brazil has a background of numerous conflicts and intense violence, often related to struggles against inequality, discrimina- tion, and minorities recognition. Currently, the main challenge is chronic social violence, mostly related to the clashes between organized crime and the state. Brazil ranks as one of the most violent countries in the world and its citizens, even those not involved in illicit networks, expe- rience the collateral effects of a society with high levels of violence (robbery, homicides, violence against women, etc.), especially those living in poor urban areas. Colonialism, Conflict, and Violence in Brazil If peace is the absence or significant reduction of violence in a society, it can be said that the history of Brazil is far from peaceful. On the contrary, behind the joy and cordiality perceived in the manifestations of the Brazilian culture – such as football and carnival – there are also brutal and cruel episodes of violence. Direct violence arising from rebellions, conflicts, and revolts is intertwined with structural and cultural violence rooted in a context of exploitation, inequality, and prejudice. Before the Portuguese invaded Brazilian terri- tory, it was estimated that two million natives lived there, divided into hundreds of ethnic groups. The arrival of Pedro Álvares Cabral’ s expedition in 1500 enabled a colonization that extracted raw materials, progressing firstly in the Northeast and Southeast of the territory and focus- ing mainly on the exploitation of sugarcane and brazilwood monoculture. This exploitation was based on extensive employment of slave labor from Africa and the perpetration of violence against the indigenous population, especially against the ethnic groups of the Tupi linguistic group that inhabited the coastal areas. When faced with the lethal superiority of the Portuguese armaments, indigenous people who were not enslaved were murdered. Many also perished due to diseases brought from Europe to the Americas. It is estimated that less than 10% of the native Brazilian population survived the © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020 O. Richmond, G. Visoka (eds.), The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Peace and Conflict Studies, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11795-5_66-1