After racial democracy? The state’s rhetorical reconstruction of national identity in Brazil (1990–2019)
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 18965618 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ned Littlefield (0000-0001-9542-3564, University of Wisconsin–Madison, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 19 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 137-157 |
| Publication date | 2024-04-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Latin American and Caribbean Ethnic Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1744-2222 • E-ISSN: 1744-2230 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/17442222.2023.2242226 |
| OpenAlex | W4385445353 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 36 |
The weakening of 'racial democracy,' or the idea of Brazil as a color-blind society that was central to what being Brazilian meant throughout much of the 20th century, raises a question about how the state attempts to reconstruct national identity rhetorically after the deconstruction of this foundational myth. I propose to answer this question by examining how 10 presidential inauguration speeches given between 1990 and 2019 challenge the myth of racial democracy inconsistently, characterize Brazilian national identity generally around the theme of societal resilience, and contest 'racial democracy' and 'national identity' content along ideological lines. My findings imply that state rhetoric may not acknowledge the myth's deconstruction fully, while engaging in the reconstruction of national identity in a highly fragmented fashion around the ability to withstand adversity.KEYWORDS: Brazilnational identityracial democracycontent analysisdiscourse analysispresidents AcknowledgementsMany thanks to Yoshiko Herrera, three anonymous reviewers, and LACES's Responsible Editor and Chief Editor for their detailed feedback on this paper. Dalila Fernandes de Negreiros offered helpful insight about researching the politics of race in Brazil. The Department of Political Science and, through its Brazil Initiative's Joaquim Nabuco Award, the Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison provided generous support for this research.Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Correction StatementThis article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.Additional informationNotes on contributorsNed LittlefieldNed Littlefield is a PhD Candidate in Political Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Aesthetics · Art · CONTEST · Democracy · Identity politics · Ideology · Media studies · Mythology · National identity · Political science · Politics · Rhetoric · Sociology · Classics · Gender Studies · History · Law · Political Conflict and Governance · Politics and Society in Latin America · Social Media and Politics
Case Selection for Case‐Study Analysis
National myths
Social Science Methodology
Comparative Politics
Reimagining Black Difference and Politics in Brazil
Becoming Brazilians
The Discursive Construction of National Identity
From "Racial Democracy" to Affirmative Action
Identity as a Variable
Rhetorical studies and national identity construction
Brazil in the Making
Race-Making and the Nation-State
Resilience and resilient in Obama’s National Security Strategy 2010
Boundary mechanisms and symbolic resources
Indigenous myths and nation building in Latin America
Why National Identity Matters
Teaching Computerized Content Analysis for Undergraduate Research Papers
The historiography of nationalism and national identity in Latin America
Taking ideas and discourse seriously
Bolsonaro and Brazil's Illiberal Backlash
Sobre o autoritarismo brasileiro
Group Dominance and the Myth of Racial Democracy
Depois da democracia racial
After racial democracy
The Bolsonaro Election, Antiblackness, and Changing Race Relations in Brazil
Multiculturalism and Beyond
Unfinished Imagined Communities
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |