Between the radical democrat and the protofascist: Sérgio Buarque de Holanda's figure in the critical reception of Raízes do Brasil by Antonio Candido and Jessé Souza

Author(s)

Angelo Gabriel Uehara Ardonde

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: Campinas, SP.
• Institution: Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Instituto de Estudos da Linguagem
• Defense date: 2021-07-06

Examining board members

Alfredo Cesar Barbosa de Melo; Jefferson Cano; Thiago Lima Nicodemo

• Advisor: Alfredo Cesar Barbosa de Melo

Abstract

My aim is to present a study on Intellectual History about the meanings of Raízes do Brasil provided by Antonio Candido's and Jessé Souza's readings, in order to investigate how and why, even though they are associated with a left political spectrum, both interpretations diverge so deeply. As a counterpoint to Sérgio Buarque de Holanda's depiction portrayed by the two authors and based on the critical edition of Raízes do Brasil (2016), I suggest a "reading against the grain" on key topics of the essay, such as the Eurocentrism in the Iberian roots dominance, the secondary role of Amerindian and African roots, the cordiality, the Patrimonialism, our revolution and the misunderstanding of democracy. From an interpretative approach, closer to the historical-discursive context, in which the processes of growth and reception of Raízes do Brasil are developed, I understand this famous essay as an open-ended text, constantly mutating, ambivalent, analogous to a palimpsest, and whose reinterpretations and updates followed three moments of radicalization and crises in the history of Brazilian liberal-democratic institutions: the Estado Novo dictatorship (1937–1946), the military dictatorship (1964-1985) and the most recent period marked by the process of impeachment in 2016, as well as the strengthening of neoliberal politics (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 19/09889-7 - Between the radical democrat and the protofascist: Sergio Buarque de Holanda's figure in the critical reception of Raízes do Brasil by Antonio Candido and Jessé Souza
• Grantee: Angelo Gabriel Uehara Ardonde
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master