The federal government's memory balancing act on the 60th anniversary of the 1964 civil-military coup

a calculation of governability

Abstract

This article aims to investigate the institutional rhetoric of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's government on the 60th anniversary of the 1964 civil-military coup, as well as to investigate the continuities and ruptures from his previous terms in terms of memorial policy. At first, there were expectations that these policies would be resumed and strengthened, especially after the dismantling of the Temer and Bolsonaro governments, the latter marked by the institutionalization of a coup and denialist narrative. In the first year of Lula's new term, 2023, some progress was made, such as the reformulation of the Amnesty Commission and the proposal to create a Museum of Memory and Human Rights. However, throughout 2024, the government opted for a conciliatory stance, canceling acts of remembrance of the coup, which reflects a policy of memorial balancing, aimed at avoiding tensions with military sectors - which can be seen in the other terms of office of Lula. The adoption of this approach demonstrates the federal government's choice of political struggles, which opted for indisposition with the military only when it came to investigating the coup acts of January 8th. What can be observed is a significant step backwards in terms of memorial policies, which end up prioritizing oblivion by avoiding revanchism and indisposition