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| Brazil
Today: DESCRIPTION: This course analyzes three or four powerful representations of national identity in the Brazilian culture: the novel Iracema by José de Alencar (1865); the currency called "real," which ended the worst inflation in Brazilian history (1994); the elevation of Formula 1 racer Ayrton Senna as a national hero at his tragic death (1994); and soap operas, in particular Fera Ferida (1993-1994) from Globo Broadcast. This course intends to discuss two prevailing ideas in Brazil: first, the difficulty for free, efficient and liberating action in Brazil—which in English is known as empowerment of the society -, and second, this same difficulty linked to serious doubts Brazilian feel about their own national identity. I will support that the first idea is important and crucial, but the second one is wrong—and that one of the biggest trumps that Brazilian culture dispose, in order to empower the society, is precisely the weakness of its national identity. That is, what Oswald de Andrade called antropofagia and consists in the capacity to assimilate with the different. This assimilation, somewhat uncivilized, is what I will call culture, in opposition to an idea of nature. And this will permit me: first, to contest the readings of Brazil which go through assertion (or nostalgia) of a Brazilian nature, be it understood as a fixed national identity, or as "the green" (i.e. the forest). And second, to distinguish a more American way of dealing with identities, which goes through precise distinction between ethnic origins, naturalizing the differences, of a more Brazilian way of dealing with them, which values their mixture, considering culture as a blend. Finally, I will support the idea that culture is necessarily mixed and not based on nature. Class conducted in English. Portuguese language recommended, but not required. WEEKLY READINGS WEEK 1: Iracema by Alencar, and Norma by Bellini. Comparisons: Similarities and Differences. Brasil was born orphan. The relationship between a Portuguese male and an Amerindian woman ends by her death, which gives him the right to own the country on behalf of their (male) son, "Moacyr", which means "child of the grief". Sorrow and loss in the beginnings of a nation. Readings:
WEEK 2: A currency with a strange name: "Real," the currency that put an end to inflation in Brazil (1994), derives its name from "realidade", Portuguese for "reality" (instead of "rei"—"king"—as it has occurred in the past, either in Spanish or in Portuguese countries). It is a strange representation of value, since it is deemed to stem from reality. The iconography of the 1994 banknotes presents, for the first time in Brazilian history, not figures from national history, but only animals. Brazilian previous history is therefore assimilated to the inflation, and nature or "reality" becomes a paradigm that can bring salvation to society. Readings
WEEK 3: The dream of a politics without politicians: Ayrton Senna and the telenovelas (soap operas) heroes as models for Brazil. Readings
WEEK 4: Themes that converge: The conviction that the country is doomed; that it needs a salvation and a savior; the repugnancy to politicians, the contempt to its history, assimilated to failure; the search, in nature, for its identity. Readings
WEEK 5: Critiques of above themes: valorization of culture against the nature. The mestiçagem. The mestiçagem as a key element to understand culture as a mixture. Comparison to the United States. Readings
BIBLIOGRAPHY: This course will be based essentially on my book: Ribeiro, Renato. A sociedade contra o social—o alto custo da vida pública no Brasil, 3rd edition. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 2000 REQUIREMENTS: -Class Participation: 30% -10 Page Final Paper: 70% |
