This article presents case studies of class action suits in the areas of consumer rights, childhood, the environment, health, and work. The study is based on process analysis and interviews with the respective parties to the suits. The results provide a better understanding of the dynamics of new areas of conflict and the affirmation of collective rights through interaction between civil society and legal institutions like the Office of the Public Defender, Office of the Public Prosecutor, and Judiciary Branch as a whole.
Class action; law; citizenship; social conflict and judicial power; brazilian democracy