The travel narratives of George Schuyler through the South of United States and Latin America in the newspaper Pittsburgh Courier (1925-1948).

• Grant number: 16/09738-0
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): September 01, 2016
• Effective date (End): January 29, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - History - History of America
• Principal researcher: Tania Regina de Luca
• Grantee: Flavio Thales Ribeiro Francisco
• Home Institution: Faculdade de Ciências e Letras (FCL-ASSIS). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Assis. Assis , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The aim of this research is to analyze the travel narratives of the intellectual George Schuyler through the South of United States in 1925, and through Latin America in 1948, published in the newspaper Pittsburgh Courier. Schuyler emerged as one of the main voices of the African-American Press when the Black political organizations rose up in American politics, he was known for his conservative approach that equated entrepreneurship and individualism with equal rights struggle. In his journey through the southern Black communities, the journalist portrayed the segregationist system and the experiences of Black entrepreneurs. In 1942, during the Second World War, the Pittsburgh Courier promoted a campaign in support of racial integration in the American Army, the debate over this issue lasted until 1948. George Schuyler, who took an active part in the struggle against segregation, proposed a travel through Latin America in order to compare the role played by black military officers in countries such as Cuba, Colombia, and Brazil. Unlike others Black intellectuals, Schuyler described negatively the "Latina American pattern" of racial relations, emphasizing the obstacles to social mobility of Black people. The primary sources for this research were already collected.