Published in the journal CITY, the article ‘When the (face)mask slips: politics, performance and crisis in urban Brazil‘ had the highest Altmetric score for 2021. This means that the article received the most overall attention last year, through reads/downloads, blogs, news items, and shares on social media. Its reach therefore extends beyond academic citations.
The article’s authors are Professor of Urban Geography and Director of LSE’S Latin America and Caribbean Centre (LAAC) Gareth Jones, Post-Doctoral Research Officer at the LAAC Dr Aiko Ikemura Amaral, and former PhD student in LSE’s Geography Department, now Visiting Fellow at the LAAC Dr Mara Nogueira. It traces the tensions between the politics of mask-wearing and the modern aspirations of the Brazilian Republic, specifically through President Bolsonaro’s anti-science discourse. It reveals the contemporary challenges that characterise Brazil as a ‘crisis society’.
The paper is an output from a British Academy grant, of which more information can be found here: https://www.lse.ac.uk/lacc/research/engineering-food-infrastructure-exclusion-and-last-mile-delivery-in-Brazilian-favelas
Cover image produced by Brazilian artist Aira Ocrespo, found on Instagram and Twitter.