Colonized bodys and voices: the impact of the coloniality in the constitution of the characters in O avesso da pele, by Jeferson Tenório

• Grant number: 25/22631-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: May 01, 2026
• End date: April 30, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Linguistics, Literature and Arts - Literature - Literature Theory
• Principal Investigator: Paulo Cesar Andrade da Silva
• Grantee: Isabela Sales Cardia
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências e Letras (FCL). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araraquara. Araraquara , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This project aims to analyze the narrative construction of the novel O avesso da pele (2020), by Jeferson Tenório, a work that, beyond its artistic merit, became the target of censorship attempts in 2024. The central objective is to investigate the categories of space and time, demonstrating how memory functions as an effective instrument of resistante and as a means of constructing black identity through the affective symbols present in the narrative. Through the perspective of Pedro, who recalls the life oh his father, murdered by police violence, and his family environment, the study seeks to comprehend the presence and repercussions of coloniality in Brazilian society and how these are reflected in the characters and in the fictional space. The research is grounded in the Latin American decolonial theoretical framework, drawing on thinkers such as Maldonado-Torres (2016) and Quijano (2009), but also Fanon (1961, 2008) and Kilomba (2021). It also engages with memory studies by Assman (2011), Candau (2016) and Gagnebin (2009). The investigation thus aims to reveal the decolonial nature of Pedros act of remembrance, highlighting how the black bodies inscribed in the narrative respond to an environment deeply rooted in the coloniality of power (Quijano, 2009). (AU)