33881

SoSe 16: The Construction of Brazilian Identity: Aspects of Art and Visual Culture, 1808-1945

Rafael Cardoso

Information for students

The course may also be taught in portuguese language. The definite language will be defined in the first session of the course, according to the students abilities. Prüfungsform: Hausarbeit (ca. 15 Seiten) oder mündliche Prüfung (ca. 20 Minuten) close

Comments

Brazilian national identity is as much of a historical construct as any other, drawing on invented traditions (Hobsbawm & Ranger) to generate an imagined community (Benedict Anderson). This imaginary institution of society (Castoriadis) takes place primarily through the discourses and representations of cultural production. Underlying the formal social and political structures of national identity in Brazil is the elusive concept of brasilidade, 'Brazilianness', which has become codified, over the course of the past century, into a shifting but more or less stable constellation of shared traits, characteristics and values supposedly inherent to the nation and its people. The present seminar seeks to address prevailing beliefs about Brazilian cultural identity by examining their origins and development within the arenas of art and visual culture. Starting with the transfer of the Portuguese court to Rio de Janeiro in 1808 and going up to the end of the Estado Novo regime in 1945, the course will survey the overall development of the art world in Brazil, focusing on key moments, themes and works that contribute to understanding how a plurality of ethnic origins, major regional differences and vast discrepancies of social standing came to be fused into a normative identity: the idea of a 'Brasil brasileiro', rendered mythical by singer Ary Barroso in 1939. close

14 Class schedule

Regular appointments

Wed, 16:00 - 18:00 14 Class schedule

Wed, 2016-04-20 16:00 - 18:00

Lecturers:
Rafael Cardoso Denis