History 508:360

History of Brazil

Fall 2009

Outlines of class sessions

 

Below are broad outlines for class sessions of the History of Brazil. Outlines will appear on this site a day or two before each class session; they will remain on the site for the semester. I intend for these very broad outlines to help you begin thinking about the issues that we will cover in class. (Or, if you miss class, give you some indication of what you miss.) You should not rely on these outlines as exhaustive descriptions for classes. And you should, especially, not rely on them as a substitute for class attendance. Depending on how any class session actually progresses, we may not cover the issues in the order that they appear; and we may use different words and phrases to cover the concepts.

From syllabus:            Class sessions

                        Readings

 

23 November

Gender Relations & Brazilian Women

            Read: Patai, Brazilian Women Speak, selected readings

                        No class on 25 November – Happy Thanksgiving

                                                For 3 Dec.:  read Meade, Chapter 9

                                                                        Samba (entire book)

Question

Consider the ways in which the position of women in modern Brazil has been shaped through the Brazilian historic experience. Some of the possible issues to take into account include: political power, family structure, personal independence – along with many others.

 

Current & historical circumstances of women

Historic characterizations

            Ideal

                        Public vs private spheres

            Reality

            Legal code

Women in society

            Feminist movements

            Expansion of "women's spheres"

                        Public presence

                        Labor force

            Personal rights

 

16-18 November

Racial Democracy?

Reading schedule: 16-18 Nov.:

Black Mobilization in Brazil  in Andrews & Chapman (eds.) The Social Construction of Democracy

NY Times, 5April 2003 “Racial Quotas in Brazil Touch Off Fierce Debate

                        17-19 Nov.: Meade Chapter 8

                        23 Nov.:  Patai, Brazilian Women Speak, selected readings

 

Material circumstance

            Income inequality

Racial democracy

            Demographics

            Discrimination

Multi-racialism

White/not-white

            Whitening?

 

 

9-11 November

            Reading schedule: 16-18 Nov.:

                        Black Mobilization in Brazil  in Andrews & Chapman (eds.) The Social Construction of Democracy

                        NY Times, 5April 2003 “Racial Quotas in Brazil Touch Off Fierce Debate

21 Years of Military Dictatorship

9 November:   Film: Capital Sins

11 November: Group Discussion

 

4 November

            Reading schedule: 9-11 Nov.:

Meade, Chapter 8

Brazil Gets BIG

The Vargas Regime

Chronology

 “Corporatist” state

·      Define

·      Effects

·      Unionism

·      Social legislation

·      Electoral franchise

·      Popular culture

·      Economic nationalism

International affairs

·      Ideology

·      World War II

 

 

29 October-2 November

First Republic: Political and social change

Reading schedule.:  
4 Nov.:  Meade, Chapter 7

                                      Levine & Crocitti; The Brazil Reader, selected readings

2 November
Group discussion of Diacon, Stringing Together a Nation, entire book

 

29 October
Social change
Country-side

Poverty, conservatism and resistance

            Millenarianism

Cities

Material “improvement”

Personal freedoms

Social control

·      Reconstruction & favelas

·      Control & popular resistance

 

 

26 October

Whose Modernity & Whose Progress: The Canudos uprising

In addition to reading Chapter 6 for next week, you will also want to begin reading Stringing Together a Nation – we will be discussing the full book in detail on 2 November.

 

The Uprising

Why?

 

Names & Terms

 

21 October

Your essays are due by the beginning of class on 26 October.

Reading schedule:

26 Oct: Review pages 102-08 from Meade (part of Chapter 5.)

Also read one (short) chapter from the novel Gabriela – to access the chapter, click here. (I apologize for the one page that is difficult to read.)

Essay writing

Your questions about the midterm: anything about the material we have covered, interpreting the questions, or writing essays.

 

 

14 & 19 October

Transition to Free Labor and Republic

·      Abolition of Slavery

·      Fall of Brazilian Empire

·      The military

o   Positivism

·      Labor

o   Former slaves

o   Immigrants

 

Reading schedule

            14 Oct.: Meade, pp. 84-94 (from Chapter 4)

            19 Oct.: Meade, Chapter 5

I will post the questions for your mid-term essay after class on 19 October. You will have an opportunity to ask any questions during class on 21 October. Your essay is due, in the appropriate Sakai assignment box by the beginning of class on 26 October.

 

Chronology

Gradual and relatively peaceful

Causes motivating abolition

Effects of abolition for former slaves

Ideological and political changes

Fall of Empire; introduction of Republic

·      The military

 

7 & 12 October

Cultural, Social & Political Organization

Continuity vs. change

Reading schedule:

            7 Oct.: Meade, Ch. 4

12 Oct. “Carlota Lucia de Brito: Women Power & Politics in Northeast Brazil”

 

19th Century

·      Political conditions

·      Social life

European influence

·      Social

·      Liberalism

Personalistic control

Forces for change:

·      1850

·      Ascendance of coffee

·      War of the Triple Alliance

 

5 October

Independence

            Reading schedule:

            Meade, Ch. 4

            5 Oct.: pp. 73-76;

            7 Oct.: remainder of chapter

12 Oct. “Carlota Lucia de Brito: Women Power & Politics in Northeast Brazil”

Chronology

Background and motivations

·      Brazilian circumstances

·      Portuguese circumstances

Outcome

·      Implications of independence

·      Political transformation?

·      International politics

·      Britain

(tariffs)

·      Brazilian Empire

 

Terms and names:

Abertura

Bragança monarchs in Brazil

Dom João VI

Dom Pedro I

Dom Pedro II

 

30 September – no class

 

23- 28 September

Slavery in Brazil

Readings:

23 September  Meade, Ch. 3 and Children of God’s Fire, selected readings

            For class on 5 October, read Meade, Ch. 4 – pp.73-76

 

Context of slavery in Brazil

What slaves did

·      Mining

·      Plantations – sugar & coffee

·      Small holdings

·      Cities

Personal circumstances of slaves

·      Personal relations & family structure

·      Individual agency

 

 

14-21 September

Settlement, Colonization and Colonial Life

For class on Wednesday 23 September, please read Chapter 3 of the text.

 

For Monday (14 September) we will discuss Chapter 2 of the text.

For Wednesday (16 September) you should have read the selection from Metcalf; Family and Frontier in Colonial Brazil; please bring with you to class the will (the Nazarri reading) that I have also asked you to read for this class.

 

Social organization

·      Hierarchy & mobility

·      Land

Daily realities

·      Material circumstances

·      Family structure

·      Settlement; cities

·      Possibilities for women

·      City life

Family & Inheritance 

 

Terms:

Fazenda

Bandeirantes

Quilombos

 

 

8 & 9 September

Exploration & “Discovery”

What does Brazil Look like?

Brazil in 2009

 

Portuguese overseas exploration

·      Purpose

·      Routes

“Discovery” of Brazil

·      Contact with indigenous population

·      Riches:

·      Brazilwood

·      Sugar

·      Gold

·      Monarchical control

·      African slavery

 

Terms & names:

Feitoria (factory)

Pedro Álvares Cabral

Donatórios (doação, doações)

 

2 September

Introduction

Brazil in the year 2009

The course:

Themes

·      Tension between “progress” & “continuity”

·      Slavery

·      Domestic & international

Requirements

·      Essays

·      Participation

 

For class on Tuesday 8 September (according to the university’s re-arranged schedule) you should read Chapter 1 of A Brief History of Brazil.