Counternarratives in contemporary Brazilian literature

Challenging the ideologemes of nation-building

Bibliographic Data

ID12699028
AuthorsLucas Amaral De Oliveira (0000-0002-1272-4722, Universidade Federal da Bahia, corresponding author)
Year2026
Volume32
Issue1
Pages1-21
Publication date2026-03-06
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Iberian & Latin American Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1469-9524 • E-ISSN: 1470-1847
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/14701847.2026.2628694
OpenAlexW7134110472
LanguageEN
References cited37

This article examines how contemporary Black-authored literature challenges hegemonic representations of Brazil and Brazilian identity through an analysis of three novels—Torto Arado by Itamar Vieira Jr. O Avesso da Pele by Jeferson Tenório, and Solitária by Eliana Alves Cruz. It argues that these works confront unresolved colonial legacies by critically re-engaging with dominant discourses of nation-building. To situate these discourses, the article first scrutinises the role of the Brazilian essay-writing tradition in shaping national ideologemes, including the “ideology of mestiçagem,” the “myth of racial democracy,” and the belief in a “cordial Brazilian-ness.” The analysis then turns to the novels to show how they actively contest these entrenched narratives. As expressions of an emerging literary trend that interweaves fiction, Black historical experiences, and contemporary realities, the novels foreground non-exemplary events, situations, and figures typically marginalised within hegemonic representations of the nation. By doing so, they operate as literary counternarratives of nation-building, bridging narrative gaps in official history, exposing racism, racial violence, and social injustice, and placing Afro-descendant struggles, symbols, and aspirations at the core of a reimagined national text.

Agency (philosophy · Field (mathematics · Government (linguistics · Politics · Work (physics · Latin American Literature Studies · Literature, Culture, and Criticism · Sociology and Education in Brazil

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