Feminisms in Brazil: Confronting and Dismantling Backlash

This paper explores the research undertaken by the Nucleus of Interdisciplinary Studies on Women (NEIM), of the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), Brazil, involving faculty and graduate and undergraduate students as part of the Countering Backlash research programme. The study focused on three major issues: the termination and re-installation of the ‘Bolsa Família Program’, a conditional cash transfer to poor families during the pandemic; the rising number of cases of gender-based violence, both in the domestic sphere and the political arena; and the continuous attempts to block access to legal abortions. The study analyses the different ‘actors’ who have been involved either in pushing back against women’s rights or in acting to protect or advance them, looking at how the backlash manifested and the tactics and strategies used to counteract it.