the brazilian puzzle: confronting the post-colonial legacy

POBS 1800 E
Prof. Luiz F. Valente
Mondays, 3:00-5:30 pm
George Monteiro Conference Room
(Meiklejohn House)
Spring, 2016
Meiklejohn House, Room 202
Office Hours:
Mondays, 2:00pm – 3:00pm
Tuesdays 2:00pm – 4:00pm
THE BRAZILIAN PUZZLE:
CONFRONTING THE POST-COLONIAL LEGACY
Brazilian intellectuals have often attempted to understand and explain the
challenges in modern Brazilian society (political, economic, racial, educational) by
pondering Brazil’s Iberian roots and assessing the legacy of Portuguese colonialism.
Several of these intellectuals have also reflected on the effects of Brazil’s neo-colonial
condition since the nineteenth century. The authors to be considered include Affonso
Romano de Sant’Anna, Sérgio Buarque de Holanda, Gilberto Freyre, C. Vianna Moog,
Manoel Bomfim, Caio Prado, Jr., Luiz Werneck Vianna, Darcy Ribeiro, Paulo Freire,
Leonardo Boff, Marcos Arruda, Roberto daMatta and José Murilo de Carvalho. The
course will be conducted entirely in Portuguese. It is designed primarily for Portuguese
and Brazilian Studies concentrators and graduate students, but it is open to other advanced
students with adequate background. Conducted in Portuguese.
A .pdf of the full syllabus is available under “Files” in the course Canvas site.
Please, check Canvas frequently for announcements and especially for the weekly estudos
dirigidos, which include notes and questions about each week’s readings in preparation
for the seminar meetings. The weekly estudos dirigidos will be posted every Friday (and
possibly before) under “Files.”
Readings will be available in electronic format from the library course reserves.
You may also access them through a link on the course Canvas page.
FEBRUARY 1
Introdução
Roberto daMatta, Os Brasileiros (video)
Affonso Romano de Sant’Anna, “Que país é este?”
2
FEBRUARY 8
Fernando A. Novais, “O Brasil nos quadros do antigo sistema colonial” (course reserve)
Sérgio Buarque de Holanda, Raízes do Brasil (Introduction + Chapters I, II, III)
FEBRUARY 15
Sérgio Buarque de Sérgio Buarque de Holanda, Raízes do Brasil (Chapters IV, V, VI, VII)
FEBRUARY 22
Long weekend
FEBRUARY 29
from Gilberto Freyre, Casa-grande e senzala, Preface to the 1st. edition and Chapter I,
"Características gerais da colonização portuguesa do Brasil: formação de uma
sociedade agrária, escravocrata e híbrida" (course reserve)
MARCH 7
from C. Vianna Moog, Bandeirantes e pioneiros, "Ética e economia" (course reserve)
MARCH 14
from Manoel Bomfim, A América Latina: males de origem, “Parasitismo e degeneração,”
“Parasitismo heróico: o pensamento ibérico “(course reserve)
from Manoel Bomfim, O Brasil na América, “Introdução,” “O espanhol e o português
“Diferenças entre os neo-ibéricos,” “Conclusão” (course reserve)
MARCH 21
from Caio Prado Júnior, Formacão do Brasil contemporâneo, “Introdução,” “Vida social
e política” (course reserve)
Luiz Werneck Vianna, “Caminhos e descaminhos da revolução passiva à brasileira”
(course reserve)
2
3
MARCH 28
Spring Vacation
APRIL 4
Paulo Freire, “Educação e o processo de mudança social” (course reserve)
Paulo Freire, “Alfabetização de adultos e conscientização” (course reserve)
from Paulo Freire, Educação como prática de liberdade “A sociedade brasileira em
transição” (course reserve)
APRIL 11
from Roberto daMatta, A casa e a rua, “A questão da cidadania num universo relacional”
(course reserve)
from Roberto daMatta, Conta de mentiroso, “Para uma antropologia da tradição brasileira
(ou a virtude está no meio)” (course reserve)
APRIL 18
from Leonardo Boff, Igreja, carisma e poder, “Práticas pastorais e modelos de igreja”
(course reserve)
from Leonardo Boff and Marcos Arruda, Globalização: desafios socioeconômicos, éticos
e educativos – uma visão a partir do Sul: “Educação e desenvolvimento na
perspectiva da democracia integral”; “Processos de globalização e desafios à
teologia da libertação” (course reserve)
from Leonardo Boff, Ecologia: grito da terra, grito dos pobres. “Teologia da libertação
e ecologia” (course reserve)
APRIL 25
from José Murilo de Carvalho, Cidadania no Brasil, “Primeiros passos” (course reserve)
from José Murilo de Carvalho, Cidadania no Brasil, “A cidadania após a redemocratização,” “A cidadania na encruzillhada” (course reserve)
MAY 2
from José Murilo de Carvalho, Cidadania no Brasil, “A cidadania após a redemocratização,” “A cidadania na encruzillhada” (course reserve)
3
4
MAY 9
If necessary
GRADING
The course grade will be based on the following:
1. Active participation in class discussions: students are expected to complete the assigned
readings in advance and to prepare for class discussion by reflecting on a
series of questions on the readings (titled Estudos Dirigidos), which
will be posted in Canvas every week.
2. Oral presentation on a topic chosen by the student in consultation with the instructor
3. Written synopsis of or commentary on one of the texts discussed in the first
half of the course (3-5 pages)
due by March 21 (early submissions are encouraged)
4. Term paper
Undergraduates: 10-12 pages
Graduate Students: 12-15 pages
two-page prospectus due on April 25;
final copy due on May 13
E-MAIL COMMUNICATIONS
Although you are free to email me at any time, please understand that I prefer not
to conduct advising sessions about complex matters by e-mail. I believe good advising
requires face-to-face communication. E-mail is good for short answers to short questions.
Thus, I would love to see you during my office hours.
I generally don’t check my email after 6:00pm and, besides, I often shut off my email on weekends so as to focus on my private life and my own writing, thus joining a
growing effort by fellow academics to dispel the notion that we must be available 24/7.
We love our jobs and are deeply committed to our students. Nevertheless we do have
private lives and people who need our attention beyond our classrooms and university
offices. So, I ask you for patience if I don’t reply to an email sent during the
weekend. You’ll hear from me during the work week.
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