On 11 February 2016 Dr. Jay Sosa presented his work on the symbolism of Brazilian protest. His work demonstrates that protests and protesters are a diverse mix of people with varying commitments and interests in political issues. Dr. Sosa explained that protests are effective in maintaining a public foothold in defining important political issues even when participants lack a single, clearly-defined message. Dr. Sosa's presentation provided a significant complement to the DOWiA's inaugural schedule, as it moved away from archaeological examination and the politics of heritage and into a more expansive realm of anthropological investigation, in this case the symbolic analysis of protests. Dr. Sosa even performed some of the essential choreography of Brazilian protests he witnessed; alas, we didn't get a picture of his reenactment.
