Racism, paper and ink: racial democracy, miscegenation and color prejudice in Brazilian radio magazines (1945-1964)

• Grant number: 24/02066-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: October 01, 2024
• End date: March 31, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - History - History of Brazil
• Principal Investigator: Marcos Francisco Napolitano de Eugenio
• Grantee: Maycon Dougllas Vieira dos Santos
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This research proposal aims to identify and scrutinize the discourse surrounding "racial democracy" depicted in the pages of Brazilian radio magazines, specifically focusing on Revistado Rádio, Radiolândia, Radiolar, and Radio Visão. Additionally, we intend to analyze how Blackartists in the radio industry were presented and represented in these periodicals, which werepublished in the Rio-São Paulo axis but had national distribution. The chosen timeframe spansfrom 1945 to 1964, justified by the establishment of these magazines, all launched between 1940and 1950. The temporal scope is also influenced by the context of the "democratic experience,"which created a certain atmosphere of freedom of expression, along with emerging debates aboutthe notion of a supposed "racial democracy" in Brazil. Despite the term gaining solidity both within and outside academic debates, countering the eugenic ideals of previous decades, racism stillpersisted in the daily life of Brazilian society. The radio and specialized press, for instance,highlighted tensions between the continuation of racism and the dissemination of beliefs assertingthe absence of color prejudice in social relations. Hence, it is crucial to proceed with the analysis, examining both textual and visual aspects, of the contours of the alleged "racial democracy" in the pages of Brazilian radio magazines. (AU)