Political Families in Brazil and India. Social Structure and Hereditary Power

Brazil and India are BRIC countries and they share some common features. They are big countries with large and complex societies. Brazil and India are democracies with relatively competitive political party systems and “free” regular elections. We can observe different forms of political background of Brazilian Congressmen and Indian Members of Parliament. Family is a very important factor in the politics of both countries. We can find political families in Brazil (Na Teia do Nepotismo, Ricardo Costa de Oliveira: 2012) and in India (India: A Portrait, Patrick French: 2011). Nepotism and strong social inequalities have been historical processes in both societies. “Longue Durée“ structural inequalities like Colonial Slavery in Brazil and Castes in India were long-term historical structures with pre-modern forms of socio-political stratification. The quest for modernization and citizenship. How political dynasties or political families are interacting with the political and judicial systems in both democracies. The different conceptions and elites building the Nation-State in both countries. How the social classes or social groups are affected by the power families and forms of nepotism present in almost all political and social institutions of Brazil and India. Trends and challenges. Age, gender, ethnic and regional features are also related to some politically hereditary conditions of access to the Legislative Power in many empirical cases to be investigated, analyzed and described.