Antarctica in the wider context of Brazilian geopolitical thinking

This paper examines how Antarctic considerations have evolved across four phases of Brazilian geopolitical thought. Drawing on primary texts and academic literature, it situates Antarctic discourse within Brazil's broader geopolitical trajectory and historical shifts. Using a historical and analytical approach, it traces continuity and change, showing how geopolitical narratives shaped Brazil's Antarctic engagement. Antarctica emerged as a topic only after World War II, when Brazilian geopolitical thinking broadened its scope to a global scale and integrated maritime space. Across this trajectory, Antarctica remained a distant yet related space – linked to Brazil through strategic, economic, and environmental concerns – and was framed more as a resource for development and projection than as a central element of national identity. The persistence of ideas such as the frontage theory underscores the enduring impact of early geopolitical models, even as newer perspectives bring science, environmental governance, and South–South cooperation without introducing a distinct theoretical renewal. Despite growing academic attention, critical geopolitics remains underdeveloped in Brazil, limiting reflection on the relevance of classical frameworks. By tracing this trajectory, the study underscores the significance of national perspectives in understanding the evolving regional and Antarctic orders.