The "Chinese threat" in the eyes of the surveillance: a study on the perspective of Brazilian and American intelligence agents on the risks of Chinese influence and interference in Brazil (1964-1985).

• Grant number: 25/07638-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: December 01, 2025
• End date: February 28, 2029
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Sociology
• Principal Investigator: Marcelo Siqueira Ridenti
• Grantee: Luan Prado Piovani
• Host Institution: Instituto de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas (IFCH). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This research proposal is based on the following general objective: To investigate the characteristics, particularities and variations in the perception of intelligence agents from the CIA (United States of America) and the SNI (Brazil) about the relations and influences of the People's Republic of China in Brazil during the 1960s and 1980s, taking into account factors such as location, geopolitical variations and historical moment. By analyzing the perspective of these agents, it is possible to hypothesize that there are symmetries that can be perceived between the agencies under analysis, based on points in common, such as the anti-communist training matrix, and certain concepts, such as the Internal War. The research methodology chosen for the development of the project is documentary analysis. The documentary sources that will provide the basis for this research are of recent access, enabling new contributions on the work of these agencies during the historical period under analysis. The collections that will be consulted are available for access in the National Archives Information System (SIAN), in the digital fund of the Opening the Archives project and on the US intelligence agency's own website, in the Freedom of Information Act Electronic Reading Room. The research produced from the SNI and CIA archives is more concentrated in the area of History, so that the sociological analysis of these documents is an emerging epistemological demand for the social sciences in Brazil.