Fundação Getulio Vargas, in partnership with the municipal government of Rio de Janeiro, is holding the fourth mini-course in its “Urban Reflections” series. The event will take place on September 3 and 4 in Rio de Janeiro, and it will feature French philosopher and writer Bruce Bégout of Bordeaux Montaigne University, who will reflect on the challenges facing today’s cities.

The philosopher will present his latest ideas on the subject and then talk with two representatives of the new generation of Brazilian intellectuals: historian and curator Ynaê Lopes dos Santos, a professor at Fluminense Federal University, and Rafael Winter Ribeiro, a professor of geography at Rio de Janeiro Federal University. As in the other meetings in the series, international experiences will be related to Rio’s reality in order to inspire new solutions and stimulate the exchange and production of knowledge.

The starting point for the event, which will prioritize dialogue between researchers, will be the concept of “ambience,” as explored by Bruce Bégout in an essay in 2020. He defines ambience as an “invisible dome under which all our experiences happen.” It is not a separate dimension from what we see, but one that encompasses the visible, becoming part of it.

On the first day of the mini-course, Ynaê Lopes dos Santos, a historian and co-curator of a 2023 exhibition titled “Little Africas: The Rio That Samba Created,” will discuss the mutual influences of Rio’s ambiences on the cultures that formed in the city, especially Afro-diasporic ones, such as samba, which produced its own ambiences when it emerged at the end of the 19^th century between Praça Onze and Pedra do Sal in the “Little Africa” district. 

On the second day, Rafael Winter Ribeiro, a geographer who helped prepare Rio de Janeiro’s bid to join UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites, will discuss the relationship between ambience and urban landscapes, focusing on the case of Rio.

Urban Reflections series

From April to November, the Urban Reflections series, organized by FGV Knowledge with the support of the municipal government of Rio de Janeiro, is holding meetings with urban planners, public managers, academics, students and other stakeholders to discuss some of the main challenges facing today’s cities, always taking the issues and demands of the city of Rio de Janeiro as a starting point.

Check out the schedule:

September 3:

Meeting 1 – Bruce Bégout and Ynaê Lopes dos Santos
Topic: Ambience and Culture
Time: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

September 4:

Meeting 2 – Bruce Bégout and Rafael Winter Ribeiro
Topic: Ambience and Cities
Time: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

For more information and to sign up, click here.