Bio
Vinícius Bivar is a Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at the University of Brasília (UnB). His work examines the history of authoritarian movements and regimes in Europe and Latin America, focusing on the transnational connections of the far-right and the ideological roots of political radicalization. His work situates contemporary political radicalization within a broader historical context, examining the ideological and diplomatic links between these regions from the 20th century to the present.
Dr. Bivar earned his Dr. phil. from Freie Universität Berlin, an MA in Modern European History, Politics, and Society from Columbia University, and a BA from the University of Brasília. His doctoral research examined the Third Reich’s foreign policy in the Americas, with a particular focus on its anti-communist collaboration with Brazil—a study he is currently developing into a book-length manuscript.
He bridges academic research and public discourse through regular analysis of the global far-right and the evolving political ties between Europe and Latin America. A research fellow at Brazil’s Observatório da Extrema Direita (OED) and the European Far-Right Analysis Network (FRAN), he situates regional crises of democracy within a broader transatlantic context. A former doctoral fellow at the German Historical Institute in Washington, DC, his work appears regularly in academic and non-academic outlets, providing a Latin American perspective on global political trends. (see research and writing).
Education
– Dr. phil. in Modern History, Freie Universität Berlin, 2024
– MA in European History, Politics and Society, Columbia University, 2016
– BA in History, Universidade de Brasília, 2013
Fellowships and Research Support
- Doctoral Fellow, German Historical Institute (Washington, DC)
- Research Grantee, German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)
- Thesis Fieldwork Grant, European Institute at Columbia University
- Summer Field Research Grant, Institute of Latin American Studies at Columbia University
- Research Fellowship, Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq)
Invited Talks & Lectures
Far-Right Politics in Germany: The international agenda of the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD). Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo (PUC-SP), 2024.
The Persistence of an Idea: Anti-communism in Brazil from Getúlio Vargas to Jair Bolsonaro. Columbia University, New York, 2019.
The South American Front: Nazi Anti-communism and the Brazilian Revolution. German Historical Institute, Washington, DC, 2019.
Overlapping Identities (Überschneidende Identitäten): German-Brazilians between the Estado Novo and the Third Reich. Universität Bern, Switzerland, 2018.