Dr. Melissa Teixeira

Biography

Melissa Teixeira is an associate professor in the Department of History at the University of Pennsylvania, specializing in the modern history of Brazil, with particular interests in legal history and the economic life of the nation. She is the author of the upcoming book, 'Path: Corporatism Brazil & Portugal,' published by Princeton University Press in 2024, which examines Brazil's response to the political, economic, and social crises of capitalism during the Great Depression. The book highlights the understudied interwar experiment of corporatism, a model that promised a 'third path' between capitalism and communism. It argues that corporatism transformed the Brazilian state into an agent of economic development, showcasing a unique historical narrative that incorporates a variety of legal, economic, and cultural sources. Teixeira is engaged in a new research project titled 'Inflation and the Making of Brazilian Democracy,' focusing on the interplay between inflation and democracy in Brazil from the economic crises preceding the 1964 military coup through the hyperinflation of the 1980s and 1990s. Her work leverages comparative and transnational historical approaches to analyze the government's role in stabilizing prices and maintaining democratic expectations amidst economic turmoil. She received her Ph.D. in History from Princeton University, an M.Phil. in Economic and Social History from the University of Cambridge, and graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in History and Economics from the University of Pennsylvania.

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