The period between 2011 and 2020 was marked by a number of milestone political events, such as Dilma Rousseff’s two-term administration – including the June 2013 protests and the 2016 presidential impeachment –, Michel Temer’s transitional administration, and the election of Jair Bolsonaro. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, this special issue critically examines the way that relationships between culture and politics have been articulated in Brazil in connection with major national and/or global events over the past decade.