Military identity and postcolonial anxiety in Brazil: the quest for status and the role of the armed forces

• Grant number: 25/07712-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: October 15, 2025
• End date: October 14, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Political Science - International Politics
• Principal Investigator: Samuel Alves Soares
• Grantee: David Paulo Succi Junior
• Supervisor: Stefano Guzzini
• Host Institution: Instituto de Políticas Públicas e Relações Internacionais (IPPRI). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: European University Institute (EUI), Italy
• Associated to the scholarship: 23/08724-0 - Armed forces, political control, and domestic operations: military identity and colonial anxiety in Brazil, BP.PD

Abstract

This project investigates how international status hierarchies influence military identity and civil-military relations in Brazil, with a particular focus on the role of postcolonial status anxiety. Building upon ongoing postdoctoral research, the proposed Research Internship Abroad (BEPE-PD) aims to accomplish two interrelated objectives: a) to refine the theoretical framework that links postcolonial anxiety to military behavior and civil-military dynamics; and b) to develop methodological tools for empirically capturing this relationship. Drawing upon the literature on international status, postcolonial theory, and ontological security studies, the research conceptualizes postcolonial anxiety as a specific form of status anxiety rooted in colonial stigmatization and enduring ideational and material dependencies, which shape how postcolonial militaries-such as Brazil's-perceive themselves. This condition produces a spectrum of responses, from deference to status-seeking and resistance, which impact directally the military relationship with the state and society. In the Brazilian case, this dynamic is expressed in the dissonance between the desired image - i.e. the military (and social) organization of the states deemed to be at the center of the international system - and the condition the Brazilian military considers Brazil to be in. This tension fosters behaviors aimed at status-seeking and identity consolidation, frequently manifesting through domestic operations and political interference. In methodological terms, the first objective involves advancing the literature review and theoretical framework through close collaboration with the host researcher and participation in seminars on identity, status, and recognition at the European University Institute (EUI). The second focuses on translating this theoretical framework into analytical tools by identifying indicators of postcolonial anxiety and building a typology of responses. These tools will guide the a content analysis of primary sources, such as documents, bibliographical works, and speeches that construct the Brazilian Army's identity, across three key historical moments: the 1930 Revolution, the 1964 military coup, and the 2018 Federal Intervention in Rio de Janeiro. Initial source analysis will be conducted during the internship, with full empirical implementation to follow in Brazil. (AU)