Emma E. A. Cohen
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195323351
- eISBN:
- 9780199785575
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195323351.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
The Mind Possessed examines spirit concepts and mediumistic practices from a cognitive scientific perspective. Drawing primarily, but not exclusively, from ethnographic data collected ...
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The Mind Possessed examines spirit concepts and mediumistic practices from a cognitive scientific perspective. Drawing primarily, but not exclusively, from ethnographic data collected during eighteen months of fieldwork in Belém, northern Brazil, this book combines fine‐grained description and analysis of mediumistic activities in an Afro‐Brazilian cult house with a scientific account of the emergence and the spread of the tradition's core concepts. The book develops a novel theoretical approach to questions that are of central importance to the scientific study of transmission of culture, particularly concepts of spirits, spirit healing, and spirit possession. Making a radical departure from established anthropological, medicalist, and sociological analyses of spirit phenomena, the book looks instead to instructive insights from the cognitive sciences and offers a set of testable hypotheses concerning the spread and appeal of spirit concepts and possession activities. Predictions and claims are grounded in the data collected and sourced in specific ethnographic contexts. The data presented open new lines of enquiry for the cognitive science of religion (a rapidly growing field of interdisciplinary scholarship) and challenge the existing but outdated theoretical frameworks within which spirit possession practices have traditionally been understood.Less
The Mind Possessed examines spirit concepts and mediumistic practices from a cognitive scientific perspective. Drawing primarily, but not exclusively, from ethnographic data collected during eighteen months of fieldwork in Belém, northern Brazil, this book combines fine‐grained description and analysis of mediumistic activities in an Afro‐Brazilian cult house with a scientific account of the emergence and the spread of the tradition's core concepts. The book develops a novel theoretical approach to questions that are of central importance to the scientific study of transmission of culture, particularly concepts of spirits, spirit healing, and spirit possession. Making a radical departure from established anthropological, medicalist, and sociological analyses of spirit phenomena, the book looks instead to instructive insights from the cognitive sciences and offers a set of testable hypotheses concerning the spread and appeal of spirit concepts and possession activities. Predictions and claims are grounded in the data collected and sourced in specific ethnographic contexts. The data presented open new lines of enquiry for the cognitive science of religion (a rapidly growing field of interdisciplinary scholarship) and challenge the existing but outdated theoretical frameworks within which spirit possession practices have traditionally been understood.
Emma Cohen
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195323351
- eISBN:
- 9780199785575
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195323351.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
The reader is introduced to possession, and many of the key “why” questions that the book addresses, through the description of a possession healing ceremony and to the principal ethnographic focus ...
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The reader is introduced to possession, and many of the key “why” questions that the book addresses, through the description of a possession healing ceremony and to the principal ethnographic focus of the book—a terreiro, or Afro‐Brazilian cult house in the city of Belém, northern Brazil. Brief introductions to dominant approaches to possession within academic scholarship and to the explanatory approach adopted by the author are given. This is followed by a chapter‐by‐chapter summary of the book.Less
The reader is introduced to possession, and many of the key “why” questions that the book addresses, through the description of a possession healing ceremony and to the principal ethnographic focus of the book—a terreiro, or Afro‐Brazilian cult house in the city of Belém, northern Brazil. Brief introductions to dominant approaches to possession within academic scholarship and to the explanatory approach adopted by the author are given. This is followed by a chapter‐by‐chapter summary of the book.
Emma Cohen
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195323351
- eISBN:
- 9780199785575
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195323351.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
In this chapter the focus narrows to the stories, beliefs, relationships, and motivations of those who formed the core membership of the terreiro. It describes Afro‐Brazilian religion as it was ...
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In this chapter the focus narrows to the stories, beliefs, relationships, and motivations of those who formed the core membership of the terreiro. It describes Afro‐Brazilian religion as it was revealed through interviews, informal stories, personal histories, and daily activities by frequenters, lodgers, and leaders of the terreiro. Together, chapters 2 and 3 provide the essential backdrop for further specific items of description and theoretical considerations in the remainder of the book.Less
In this chapter the focus narrows to the stories, beliefs, relationships, and motivations of those who formed the core membership of the terreiro. It describes Afro‐Brazilian religion as it was revealed through interviews, informal stories, personal histories, and daily activities by frequenters, lodgers, and leaders of the terreiro. Together, chapters 2 and 3 provide the essential backdrop for further specific items of description and theoretical considerations in the remainder of the book.
DAVID BROOKSHAW
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780197265246
- eISBN:
- 9780191754197
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197265246.003.0008
- Subject:
- History, Imperialism and Colonialism
This chapter discusses the extent to which it is feasible to talk of a black Brazilian literary tradition that is somehow cohesive, conscious of itself and self-reflective. In looking at works by ...
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This chapter discusses the extent to which it is feasible to talk of a black Brazilian literary tradition that is somehow cohesive, conscious of itself and self-reflective. In looking at works by black fiction writers during the second half of the twentieth century, such as Romeu Crusoé, Oswaldo de Camargo, Cuti, Geni Guimarães, Marilene Felinto and Muniz Sodré, it suggests that writers of African descent who self-identify as black Brazilians are to a large extent bound by identification with region as much as they are with skin colour, in a similar way to other ‘ethnic’ writers in Brazil.Less
This chapter discusses the extent to which it is feasible to talk of a black Brazilian literary tradition that is somehow cohesive, conscious of itself and self-reflective. In looking at works by black fiction writers during the second half of the twentieth century, such as Romeu Crusoé, Oswaldo de Camargo, Cuti, Geni Guimarães, Marilene Felinto and Muniz Sodré, it suggests that writers of African descent who self-identify as black Brazilians are to a large extent bound by identification with region as much as they are with skin colour, in a similar way to other ‘ethnic’ writers in Brazil.
Paul Christopher Johnson
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195150582
- eISBN:
- 9780199834358
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195150589.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
Here, the religion of Candomblé is described. Candomblé is presented as a relatively stable system of meanings and practices. Johnson maps out the contour lines along which variations occur, the ...
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Here, the religion of Candomblé is described. Candomblé is presented as a relatively stable system of meanings and practices. Johnson maps out the contour lines along which variations occur, the semiotic system linking historically disparate groups of practice. The key vectors of signification described include: (1) the orixás (orishas) and the digestive metaphor of exchange, (2) Africa, “Africa” and Afro‐Brazil, (3) gender and spirit possession, (4) axé and the terreiro, and (5) Candomblé in the context of a broader Brazilian religious field of spirit‐possession religions.Less
Here, the religion of Candomblé is described. Candomblé is presented as a relatively stable system of meanings and practices. Johnson maps out the contour lines along which variations occur, the semiotic system linking historically disparate groups of practice. The key vectors of signification described include: (1) the orixás (orishas) and the digestive metaphor of exchange, (2) Africa, “Africa” and Afro‐Brazil, (3) gender and spirit possession, (4) axé and the terreiro, and (5) Candomblé in the context of a broader Brazilian religious field of spirit‐possession religions.
Paul Christopher Johnson
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195150582
- eISBN:
- 9780199834358
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195150589.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
Describes the sociopolitical context of the new republican public order of Brazil between 1889 and 1930 that uncovered a third historical layer of the practice of secrecy, now as resistance to the ...
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Describes the sociopolitical context of the new republican public order of Brazil between 1889 and 1930 that uncovered a third historical layer of the practice of secrecy, now as resistance to the republic.The problem of the classification of Candomblé in the Brazilian public sphere began in 1888 with abolition. It is precisely at this juncture that the relation of Afro‐Brazilians and their religions to Brazilian national identity became a pressing concern. With the advent of abolition and the inchoateness of Afro‐Brazilians’ new social position, their provisional status as “Brazilians” shifted in the eyes of white élites back to that of “Africans” and therefore, foreigners – a dangerous and polluting presence. The liberty of freed slaves to perform religious ceremonies involving drumming, sacrifice, and possession dance was an obvious site of contestation since it was in such ritual performances that difference – the “non‐Brazilian” identity – was most radically marked.Less
Describes the sociopolitical context of the new republican public order of Brazil between 1889 and 1930 that uncovered a third historical layer of the practice of secrecy, now as resistance to the republic.
The problem of the classification of Candomblé in the Brazilian public sphere began in 1888 with abolition. It is precisely at this juncture that the relation of Afro‐Brazilians and their religions to Brazilian national identity became a pressing concern. With the advent of abolition and the inchoateness of Afro‐Brazilians’ new social position, their provisional status as “Brazilians” shifted in the eyes of white élites back to that of “Africans” and therefore, foreigners – a dangerous and polluting presence. The liberty of freed slaves to perform religious ceremonies involving drumming, sacrifice, and possession dance was an obvious site of contestation since it was in such ritual performances that difference – the “non‐Brazilian” identity – was most radically marked.
John Burdick
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- April 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195149180
- eISBN:
- 9780199835386
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195149181.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Since the late 1970s, the progressive wing of the Catholic Church in Brazil has worked in solidarity with that country's black movement to formulate practices to advance the cause of anti-racism. In ...
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Since the late 1970s, the progressive wing of the Catholic Church in Brazil has worked in solidarity with that country's black movement to formulate practices to advance the cause of anti-racism. In particular, the Church has sought to dismantle white supremacy and Eurocentrism by creating an inculturated liturgy, known as the “Afro-Mass,”inspired by the Afro-Brazilian religion of candomble. This chapter assesses this effort at cultural politics and concludes that it unwittingly reproduces the very structures of Eurocentrism it seeks to destabilize. The essay thus contributes to the literature that evaluates the outcomes of social movements.Less
Since the late 1970s, the progressive wing of the Catholic Church in Brazil has worked in solidarity with that country's black movement to formulate practices to advance the cause of anti-racism. In particular, the Church has sought to dismantle white supremacy and Eurocentrism by creating an inculturated liturgy, known as the “Afro-Mass,”inspired by the Afro-Brazilian religion of candomble. This chapter assesses this effort at cultural politics and concludes that it unwittingly reproduces the very structures of Eurocentrism it seeks to destabilize. The essay thus contributes to the literature that evaluates the outcomes of social movements.
Michael Hanchard
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195176247
- eISBN:
- 9780199851003
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195176247.003.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
This book is a product of the series of conversations with the late Vanderlei José Mariá, a member of the Worker's Party (PT) in Brazil and one of the founding members of its black nucleus (Nucleo ...
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This book is a product of the series of conversations with the late Vanderlei José Mariá, a member of the Worker's Party (PT) in Brazil and one of the founding members of its black nucleus (Nucleo Negro), in 1988. Vanderlei was considered one of the Workers' Party's most promising young intellectuals during the mid-1980s, expressing an unusual hope and vision for the melding of the interests of the black movement with those of the (PT), helping to transform the PT into a party in both senses of the term—party as an expression of festivity and party as a form of political mobilization, organization, and discipline. His insights asserted his perspectives of Afro-Brazilian politics for a comunidadenegra which had wider implications for black politics and life–worlds in various nation–states.Less
This book is a product of the series of conversations with the late Vanderlei José Mariá, a member of the Worker's Party (PT) in Brazil and one of the founding members of its black nucleus (Nucleo Negro), in 1988. Vanderlei was considered one of the Workers' Party's most promising young intellectuals during the mid-1980s, expressing an unusual hope and vision for the melding of the interests of the black movement with those of the (PT), helping to transform the PT into a party in both senses of the term—party as an expression of festivity and party as a form of political mobilization, organization, and discipline. His insights asserted his perspectives of Afro-Brazilian politics for a comunidadenegra which had wider implications for black politics and life–worlds in various nation–states.
Kwame Dixon
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- September 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780813062617
- eISBN:
- 9780813055985
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University Press of Florida
- DOI:
- 10.5744/florida/9780813062617.001.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Latin American Studies
The struggle for racial justice by Afro–civil society in Brazil and Salvador da Bahia is the main concern of this book. Theoretically this research aims to contribute to Latin American critical ...
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The struggle for racial justice by Afro–civil society in Brazil and Salvador da Bahia is the main concern of this book. Theoretically this research aims to contribute to Latin American critical racial theory and Afro-Brazilian social movements by providing deep insights regarding cultural politics in Salvador da Bahia by exploring the following: various and different of forms of Black consciousness and cultural expressions; different levels of political action and social mobilization by Afro-Brazilian groups; the role of Afro–civil society in relation to the state; and to critically analyze current debates on racial and gender discrimination as well as social inequality. Conceptually, this research seeks to break new ground by examining how Black politics both cultural and formal are articulated and the ways in which the state is responding to various Black demands in Brazil, particularly in Salvador da Bahia.Less
The struggle for racial justice by Afro–civil society in Brazil and Salvador da Bahia is the main concern of this book. Theoretically this research aims to contribute to Latin American critical racial theory and Afro-Brazilian social movements by providing deep insights regarding cultural politics in Salvador da Bahia by exploring the following: various and different of forms of Black consciousness and cultural expressions; different levels of political action and social mobilization by Afro-Brazilian groups; the role of Afro–civil society in relation to the state; and to critically analyze current debates on racial and gender discrimination as well as social inequality. Conceptually, this research seeks to break new ground by examining how Black politics both cultural and formal are articulated and the ways in which the state is responding to various Black demands in Brazil, particularly in Salvador da Bahia.
Kia Lilly Caldwell
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- January 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780252040986
- eISBN:
- 9780252099533
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252040986.001.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Race and Ethnicity
This book highlights Brazil’s successes and challenges in its quest to provide quality healthcare to all of its citizens, particularly women and Afro-Brazilians. By exploring how health activists and ...
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This book highlights Brazil’s successes and challenges in its quest to provide quality healthcare to all of its citizens, particularly women and Afro-Brazilians. By exploring how health activists and policy makers have attempted to address gender and racial health inequities from the early 1980s to the mid-2010s, this book provides new insights into the Brazilian government’s efforts to meet the needs of populations that are often marginalized on the basis of race and/or gender. The methodological approach used in this book combines analysis of health activism within the women’s movement, black movement, and black women’s movement with examination of health policies and programs at the local, state, and federal level. In addition, the intersectional approach used in this project places health policies for women in dialogue with health policies for the black population. Through use of an intersectional approach that views race, gender, and class as co-occurring and inseparable aspects of identity and social experience, as well as policy formulation, this book sheds light on the effectiveness of Brazilian health policies in meeting the needs of African-descendant women in the country.Less
This book highlights Brazil’s successes and challenges in its quest to provide quality healthcare to all of its citizens, particularly women and Afro-Brazilians. By exploring how health activists and policy makers have attempted to address gender and racial health inequities from the early 1980s to the mid-2010s, this book provides new insights into the Brazilian government’s efforts to meet the needs of populations that are often marginalized on the basis of race and/or gender. The methodological approach used in this book combines analysis of health activism within the women’s movement, black movement, and black women’s movement with examination of health policies and programs at the local, state, and federal level. In addition, the intersectional approach used in this project places health policies for women in dialogue with health policies for the black population. Through use of an intersectional approach that views race, gender, and class as co-occurring and inseparable aspects of identity and social experience, as well as policy formulation, this book sheds light on the effectiveness of Brazilian health policies in meeting the needs of African-descendant women in the country.
John Burdick
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- March 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780814709221
- eISBN:
- 9780814723135
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9780814709221.001.0001
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Latin American Cultural Anthropology
Throughout Brazil, Afro-Brazilians face widespread racial prejudice. Many turn to religion, with Afro-Brazilians disproportionately represented among Protestants, the fastest-growing religious group ...
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Throughout Brazil, Afro-Brazilians face widespread racial prejudice. Many turn to religion, with Afro-Brazilians disproportionately represented among Protestants, the fastest-growing religious group in the country. Officially, Brazilian Protestants do not involve themselves in racial politics. Behind the scenes, however, the community is deeply involved in the formation of different kinds of blackness—and its engagement in racial politics is rooted in the major new cultural movement of black music. This book explores the complex ideas about race, racism, and racial identity that have grown up among Afro-Brazilians in the black music scene. It pushes our understanding of racial identity and the social effects of music in new directions. Delving into the everyday music-making practices of these scenes, the book shows how the creative process itself shapes how Afro-Brazilian artists experience and understand their racial identities. This book challenges much of what we thought we knew about Brazil's Protestants, provoking us to think in new ways about their role in their country's struggle to combat racism.Less
Throughout Brazil, Afro-Brazilians face widespread racial prejudice. Many turn to religion, with Afro-Brazilians disproportionately represented among Protestants, the fastest-growing religious group in the country. Officially, Brazilian Protestants do not involve themselves in racial politics. Behind the scenes, however, the community is deeply involved in the formation of different kinds of blackness—and its engagement in racial politics is rooted in the major new cultural movement of black music. This book explores the complex ideas about race, racism, and racial identity that have grown up among Afro-Brazilians in the black music scene. It pushes our understanding of racial identity and the social effects of music in new directions. Delving into the everyday music-making practices of these scenes, the book shows how the creative process itself shapes how Afro-Brazilian artists experience and understand their racial identities. This book challenges much of what we thought we knew about Brazil's Protestants, provoking us to think in new ways about their role in their country's struggle to combat racism.
Kimberly L. Cleveland
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- September 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780813044767
- eISBN:
- 9780813046457
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University Press of Florida
- DOI:
- 10.5744/florida/9780813044767.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Cultural History
Black Art in Brazil explores the work of five artists from different regions of Brazil—Abdias do Nascimento, Ronaldo Rego, Eustáquio Neves, Ayrson Heráclito, and Rosana Paulino—against the wider ...
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Black Art in Brazil explores the work of five artists from different regions of Brazil—Abdias do Nascimento, Ronaldo Rego, Eustáquio Neves, Ayrson Heráclito, and Rosana Paulino—against the wider backdrop of socio—historical and political developments taking place at the national and popular levels in the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. The book traces the history of national and international interest in black art in Brazil, changes in the related terminology, and development of the discourse. Excerpts from interviews with artists and curators illustrate how different individuals understand and relate to the increasingly popular label “Afro—Brazilian art.” The publication also expands upon current scholarship by introducing its readers to a variety of paintings, prints, photographs, installations, sculptures, and performance pieces produced outside the Afro—Brazilian religious communities for secular audiences. The book’s in-depth analysis of different works demonstrates how some Brazilian art conveys “blackness” through visual vocabulary and how the markers of black art and culture have continued to diversify. In comparing modern (post-1920) and contemporary (post-1985) production, the book reveals that as the discourse on race, ethnicity, and black art began to change in the 1970s, so too did artists shift the creative focus from exploring their African cultural heritage to producing work that confronts current race—related social challenges in Brazil.Less
Black Art in Brazil explores the work of five artists from different regions of Brazil—Abdias do Nascimento, Ronaldo Rego, Eustáquio Neves, Ayrson Heráclito, and Rosana Paulino—against the wider backdrop of socio—historical and political developments taking place at the national and popular levels in the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. The book traces the history of national and international interest in black art in Brazil, changes in the related terminology, and development of the discourse. Excerpts from interviews with artists and curators illustrate how different individuals understand and relate to the increasingly popular label “Afro—Brazilian art.” The publication also expands upon current scholarship by introducing its readers to a variety of paintings, prints, photographs, installations, sculptures, and performance pieces produced outside the Afro—Brazilian religious communities for secular audiences. The book’s in-depth analysis of different works demonstrates how some Brazilian art conveys “blackness” through visual vocabulary and how the markers of black art and culture have continued to diversify. In comparing modern (post-1920) and contemporary (post-1985) production, the book reveals that as the discourse on race, ethnicity, and black art began to change in the 1970s, so too did artists shift the creative focus from exploring their African cultural heritage to producing work that confronts current race—related social challenges in Brazil.
Clarence Bernard Henry
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- March 2014
- ISBN:
- 9781604730821
- eISBN:
- 9781604733341
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781604730821.003.0009
- Subject:
- Music, Ethnomusicology, World Music
This chapter sums up the key findings of this study on axé music and the African origins of Brazilian popular music. It explains that axé music and the African roots of Brazilian popular music are ...
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This chapter sums up the key findings of this study on axé music and the African origins of Brazilian popular music. It explains that axé music and the African roots of Brazilian popular music are embedded in a sacred/secular connection of religion, individual artists, Carnival organizations, music, musical instruments, drumming, dance, imagery, symbols, festive celebrations, and the richness of Afro-Brazilian culture. The chapter also highlights the role of West African àsé in Afro-Brazilians’ struggle for racial equality and economic opportunity.Less
This chapter sums up the key findings of this study on axé music and the African origins of Brazilian popular music. It explains that axé music and the African roots of Brazilian popular music are embedded in a sacred/secular connection of religion, individual artists, Carnival organizations, music, musical instruments, drumming, dance, imagery, symbols, festive celebrations, and the richness of Afro-Brazilian culture. The chapter also highlights the role of West African àsé in Afro-Brazilians’ struggle for racial equality and economic opportunity.
Monique-Adelle Callahan
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- May 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199743063
- eISBN:
- 9780199895021
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199743063.003.0005
- Subject:
- Literature, World Literature, Women's Literature
This chapter examines Auta de Souza’s poetry in the context of Brazilian slavery and abolition. Auta challenges the definitions of personal freedom to self-design, self-define, reconcile colonial ...
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This chapter examines Auta de Souza’s poetry in the context of Brazilian slavery and abolition. Auta challenges the definitions of personal freedom to self-design, self-define, reconcile colonial history with its history of slavery, and new, independent Brazilian nation. Auta’s use of symbolism addresses issues related to Brazilian nationhood as it tried to reconcile a recent history of racial slavery. She postulates a poetic space in which the rhetorical and political tensions of the nation interact intimately with the individual search for identity. Finally, this chapter argues that Auta’s reconfigurations of biblical tropes and her attention to the recurrent theme of freedom through the literary re-imagining of identity not only link her work to a national and transnational discourse about slavery and freedom, but also align her work with other afrodescendente writers like Frances Harper and Cristina Ayala.Less
This chapter examines Auta de Souza’s poetry in the context of Brazilian slavery and abolition. Auta challenges the definitions of personal freedom to self-design, self-define, reconcile colonial history with its history of slavery, and new, independent Brazilian nation. Auta’s use of symbolism addresses issues related to Brazilian nationhood as it tried to reconcile a recent history of racial slavery. She postulates a poetic space in which the rhetorical and political tensions of the nation interact intimately with the individual search for identity. Finally, this chapter argues that Auta’s reconfigurations of biblical tropes and her attention to the recurrent theme of freedom through the literary re-imagining of identity not only link her work to a national and transnational discourse about slavery and freedom, but also align her work with other afrodescendente writers like Frances Harper and Cristina Ayala.
Monique-Adelle Callahan
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- May 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199743063
- eISBN:
- 9780199895021
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199743063.003.0006
- Subject:
- Literature, World Literature, Women's Literature
This chapter ultimately maintains that any comparative project runs the risk of reinforcing the very boundaries it claims to deconstruct. Afrodescendente literature does not stand in opposition to ...
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This chapter ultimately maintains that any comparative project runs the risk of reinforcing the very boundaries it claims to deconstruct. Afrodescendente literature does not stand in opposition to “other” literatures, but rather represents variant attempts to use language poetically to reconstruct history and, in doing so, to impose a vision of how the future should be. Frances Harper, Cristina Ayala, and Frances Harper’s engagement with language goes beyond specific formal or thematic considerations, ultimately placing language itself under the microscope. In doing so, these poets help us to see how poetics play a role in the construction of historical memory. During the critical years leading up to the turn of the twentieth century, the project of nation building called on the resources of intellectuals and poets alike. Frances Harper, Cristina Ayala and Auta de Souza’s poetry actively destabilized myths about afrodescendente peoples. Their poetry also provided a foundation for a viable tradition of afrodescendente poetry by women and demonstrated the influence of poetry on the process of nation-building and the construction of gender and race at the turn of the century.Less
This chapter ultimately maintains that any comparative project runs the risk of reinforcing the very boundaries it claims to deconstruct. Afrodescendente literature does not stand in opposition to “other” literatures, but rather represents variant attempts to use language poetically to reconstruct history and, in doing so, to impose a vision of how the future should be. Frances Harper, Cristina Ayala, and Frances Harper’s engagement with language goes beyond specific formal or thematic considerations, ultimately placing language itself under the microscope. In doing so, these poets help us to see how poetics play a role in the construction of historical memory. During the critical years leading up to the turn of the twentieth century, the project of nation building called on the resources of intellectuals and poets alike. Frances Harper, Cristina Ayala and Auta de Souza’s poetry actively destabilized myths about afrodescendente peoples. Their poetry also provided a foundation for a viable tradition of afrodescendente poetry by women and demonstrated the influence of poetry on the process of nation-building and the construction of gender and race at the turn of the century.
Kimberly L. Cleveland
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- September 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780813044767
- eISBN:
- 9780813046457
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Florida
- DOI:
- 10.5744/florida/9780813044767.003.0008
- Subject:
- History, Cultural History
This chapter highlights several connections and conclusions among the proceeding chapters. It emphasizes differences between modern and contemporary black art, including the shift from a sacred to a ...
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This chapter highlights several connections and conclusions among the proceeding chapters. It emphasizes differences between modern and contemporary black art, including the shift from a sacred to a secular visual vocabulary and the implications this change has for black art’s ability to communicate blackness to its audiences. The chapter reviews what the five case studies reveal about the relevance of regional influences, opportunities for artists to express their views, self- and ethnic-identities, and varying identification with the term Afro-Brazilian art. The chapter also briefly outlines major artistic and social developments that have occurred in the past few years, which, together with the case studies on the individual artists, signal the growth, albeit tentative, of the role of black art in Brazil in the twenty-first century.Less
This chapter highlights several connections and conclusions among the proceeding chapters. It emphasizes differences between modern and contemporary black art, including the shift from a sacred to a secular visual vocabulary and the implications this change has for black art’s ability to communicate blackness to its audiences. The chapter reviews what the five case studies reveal about the relevance of regional influences, opportunities for artists to express their views, self- and ethnic-identities, and varying identification with the term Afro-Brazilian art. The chapter also briefly outlines major artistic and social developments that have occurred in the past few years, which, together with the case studies on the individual artists, signal the growth, albeit tentative, of the role of black art in Brazil in the twenty-first century.
Christen A. Smith
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252039935
- eISBN:
- 9780252098093
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252039935.001.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Latin American Studies
Tourists exult in Bahia, Brazil, as a tropical paradise infused with the black population's one-of-a-kind vitality. But the alluring images of smiling black faces and dancing black bodies masks an ...
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Tourists exult in Bahia, Brazil, as a tropical paradise infused with the black population's one-of-a-kind vitality. But the alluring images of smiling black faces and dancing black bodies masks an ugly reality of anti-black authoritarian violence. This book argues that the dialectic of glorified representations of black bodies and subsequent state repression reinforces Brazil's racially hierarchal society. Interpreting the violence as both institutional and performative, the book follows a grassroots movement and social protest theater troupe in their campaigns against racial violence. As the book reveals, economies of black pain and suffering form the backdrop for the staged, scripted, and choreographed afro-paradise that dazzles visitors. The work of grassroots organizers exposes this relationship, exploding illusions and asking unwelcome questions about the impact of state violence performed against the still-marginalized mass of Afro-Brazilians.Less
Tourists exult in Bahia, Brazil, as a tropical paradise infused with the black population's one-of-a-kind vitality. But the alluring images of smiling black faces and dancing black bodies masks an ugly reality of anti-black authoritarian violence. This book argues that the dialectic of glorified representations of black bodies and subsequent state repression reinforces Brazil's racially hierarchal society. Interpreting the violence as both institutional and performative, the book follows a grassroots movement and social protest theater troupe in their campaigns against racial violence. As the book reveals, economies of black pain and suffering form the backdrop for the staged, scripted, and choreographed afro-paradise that dazzles visitors. The work of grassroots organizers exposes this relationship, exploding illusions and asking unwelcome questions about the impact of state violence performed against the still-marginalized mass of Afro-Brazilians.
Anadelia A. Romo
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- July 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780807833827
- eISBN:
- 9781469604084
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/9780807895948_romo
- Subject:
- History, Latin American History
Brazil's northeastern state of Bahia has built its economy around attracting international tourists to what is billed as the locus of Afro-Brazilian culture and the epicenter of Brazilian racial ...
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Brazil's northeastern state of Bahia has built its economy around attracting international tourists to what is billed as the locus of Afro-Brazilian culture and the epicenter of Brazilian racial harmony. Yet this inclusive ideal has a complicated past. Chronicling the discourse among intellectuals and state officials during the period from the abolition of slavery in 1888 to the start of Brazil's military regime in 1964, this book uncovers how the state's non-white majority moved from being a source of embarrassment to being a critical component of Bahia's identity. It examines ideas of race in key cultural and public arenas through a close analysis of medical science, the arts, education, and the social sciences. As the book argues, although Bahian racial thought came to embrace elements of Afro-Brazilian culture, the presentation of Bahia as a “living museum” threatened by social change portrayed Afro-Bahian culture and modernity as necessarily at odds.Less
Brazil's northeastern state of Bahia has built its economy around attracting international tourists to what is billed as the locus of Afro-Brazilian culture and the epicenter of Brazilian racial harmony. Yet this inclusive ideal has a complicated past. Chronicling the discourse among intellectuals and state officials during the period from the abolition of slavery in 1888 to the start of Brazil's military regime in 1964, this book uncovers how the state's non-white majority moved from being a source of embarrassment to being a critical component of Bahia's identity. It examines ideas of race in key cultural and public arenas through a close analysis of medical science, the arts, education, and the social sciences. As the book argues, although Bahian racial thought came to embrace elements of Afro-Brazilian culture, the presentation of Bahia as a “living museum” threatened by social change portrayed Afro-Bahian culture and modernity as necessarily at odds.
Erica Lorraine Williams
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252037931
- eISBN:
- 9780252095191
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252037931.003.0002
- Subject:
- Sociology, Gender and Sexuality
This chapter explores the connections between the cultural and sexual politics of the transnational tourism industry in Salvador. It first provides an overview of sex tourism zones as well as zones ...
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This chapter explores the connections between the cultural and sexual politics of the transnational tourism industry in Salvador. It first provides an overview of sex tourism zones as well as zones of class and race in Salvador before turning to the city's Afro-Brazilian cultural tourism. More specifically, it considers how Afro-Brazilian men, commonly referred to as caça-gringas, or pega-turistas, capitalize on their cultural expertise to attract female and male foreign tourists by teaching capoeira and Afro-Brazilian dance and percussion. The caça-gringas illustrate the key role played by Afro-Brazilian culture in the marketing of Bahia in the international tourism industry as the Black Mecca. The chapter also looks at Candomblé as a case study in Afro-Brazilian cultural appropriation. It shows that the spatial and racial dynamics of sex work in the tourist districts are bound up with processes of social exclusion.Less
This chapter explores the connections between the cultural and sexual politics of the transnational tourism industry in Salvador. It first provides an overview of sex tourism zones as well as zones of class and race in Salvador before turning to the city's Afro-Brazilian cultural tourism. More specifically, it considers how Afro-Brazilian men, commonly referred to as caça-gringas, or pega-turistas, capitalize on their cultural expertise to attract female and male foreign tourists by teaching capoeira and Afro-Brazilian dance and percussion. The caça-gringas illustrate the key role played by Afro-Brazilian culture in the marketing of Bahia in the international tourism industry as the Black Mecca. The chapter also looks at Candomblé as a case study in Afro-Brazilian cultural appropriation. It shows that the spatial and racial dynamics of sex work in the tourist districts are bound up with processes of social exclusion.
Oscar de la Torre
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781469643243
- eISBN:
- 9781469643267
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/northcarolina/9781469643243.003.0008
- Subject:
- History, Latin American History
The conclusion formulates three arguments. First, it reinserts Afro descendants into Amazonia’s history, especially in the periods immediately before and after the rubber boom. Second, it argues that ...
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The conclusion formulates three arguments. First, it reinserts Afro descendants into Amazonia’s history, especially in the periods immediately before and after the rubber boom. Second, it argues that natural landscapes represented a vehicle for the genesis and the evolution of an Afro-descendant identity among Pará’s black peasants. And finally, it holds that, while Article 68 sparked a process of black ethnic reconfiguration in the 1990s, the emphasis on the novelty of such identities has inadvertently obscured the vitality of black political traditions. In sum, as The People of the River shows, the political actions of the 1990s were just a new iteration of a much older tradition of black peasant politics dating at least from the era of slavery. While discourses defending the rights of citizenship for Afro-descendants were revamped to accommodate to the new era that Article 68 inaugurated, they continued to refer to environmental tropes used in previous conflicts. Black peasants continue to assert their rights as Brazilians through multiple dialogues, but their voice has always found in nature a vehicle to maintain a singular identity along the way.Less
The conclusion formulates three arguments. First, it reinserts Afro descendants into Amazonia’s history, especially in the periods immediately before and after the rubber boom. Second, it argues that natural landscapes represented a vehicle for the genesis and the evolution of an Afro-descendant identity among Pará’s black peasants. And finally, it holds that, while Article 68 sparked a process of black ethnic reconfiguration in the 1990s, the emphasis on the novelty of such identities has inadvertently obscured the vitality of black political traditions. In sum, as The People of the River shows, the political actions of the 1990s were just a new iteration of a much older tradition of black peasant politics dating at least from the era of slavery. While discourses defending the rights of citizenship for Afro-descendants were revamped to accommodate to the new era that Article 68 inaugurated, they continued to refer to environmental tropes used in previous conflicts. Black peasants continue to assert their rights as Brazilians through multiple dialogues, but their voice has always found in nature a vehicle to maintain a singular identity along the way.
