The people of Brazil often have a very friendly and easy-going energy about them. There are a number of non-verbal dynamics that include touching, hand gestures, and high boundary tolerance. Brazilians have less sense of personal space than North Americans and are not bothered being packed together in crowded public places. While in some societies touching has sexual overtones, Brazilians equate it with friendship and a show of concern. According to iorworld.com “Touching forms a large part of Brazilian communication”. Also according to brazil.org, “Brazilians are usually rather affectionate, tactile people. Men shake hands with one another, while women will kiss each other’s cheeks in greeting. They will start with the left cheek and then …show more content…
It is much easier to be accepted if you are introduced by a mutual acquaintance. During the initial introduction of business partners the typical greeting is to shake hands and sometimes get kissed on the cheeks. Building good business relationships is a great priority to have in Brazil. The more familiar people become the easier it is to do business and build trust. “Remember that doing business IS a type of social interaction in Brazil,” says Maria-Brazil.org. Some other cultural etiquette considerations to include would be: making sure you are always properly dressed when attending a dinner event, never under-dress, always bring a gift to an event if you are not the hostess, avoid giving …show more content…
Carnival is a four-day extravaganza marked by parades of costumed dancers, musicians, formal balls, street dancing, and musical contests, which makes it a truly national party. During Carnival Brazilians briefly forget what they call the- hard realities of life. Carnival is symbolic of the national ethos because it plays too many of the dualities in Brazilian life, wealth and poverty, African and European, female and male. The key to carnival's popularity is its break with and reversal of the everyday reality. Through the use of costume; notably called fantasia in Portuguese, anyone can become anybody at carnival time. Class hierarchies based on wealth and power are briefly set aside, poverty is forgotten, men may dress as women, leisure supplants work, and the disparate components of Brazilian society blend in a dizzying blaze of color and
In Samba, Alma Guillermoprieto describes the Carnival celebrated every year in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and explores the black cultural roots from which it takes its traditions as well as its social, economic, and political context in the 1980s. From her firsthand experience and investigation into favela life and the role of samba schools, specifically of Manguiera, Guillermoprieto illustrates a complex image of race relations in Brazil. The hegemonic character of samba culture in Brazil stands as a prevalent theme in numerous facets of favela life, samba schools, and racial interactions like the increasing involvement of white Brazilians in Carnival preparation and the popularity of mulatas with white Brazilians and tourists. Rio de Janeiro’s early development as a city was largely segregated after the practice of slavery ended. The centralization of Afro-Brazilians in favelas in the hills of the city strengthened their ties to black
Tompkins, C., 2009. The paradoxical effect of the documentary in Walter Salles’s “Central do Brasil”. Studies in 20th & 21st Century Literature 33 no1 p9-27
Larry Rohter was a journalist in Brazil for 14 years and from his experiences he offers in this book some unique insights into Brazilian history, politics, culture and more. In 10 topical chapters Rohter’s easy-to-read book provides a look at Brazilian history and the extraordinary changes the country has undergone -- and is still undergoing. Rother covers many significant issues, but several stand out more than others. Namely: the country’s history, culture, politics, and finally its economy/natural wealth.
The purpose of this paper is to recognize, study and analyze the race relations in Brazil. Race relations are relations between two groups of different races; it is how these two different races connect to each other in their environment. Since Brazil is racially diverse, this study is focused on how Brazilians relate to each other. Throughout the essay, it will become clear that there exists a conflict between two race groups. Afro-Brazilians and White-Brazilians are not connected and though these two groups converse with each other, discrimination still lies within the society. This discrimination has created inequality within the society for Afro-Brazilians. Thus, this paper will not only focus on racism and discrimination that Afro-Brazilians experience because of White-Brazilian, but also on the history of Brazil, the types if discrimination that Afro-Brazilian must endure today and how the media creates discrimination.
Brazil was and still is a country where the wealthiest live side by side to the poorest of the poor, conservative traditions exist side by side with extreme liberals, extreme beauty with grotesque ugliness, In an attempt to join these elements together the tropicalistas adopted many musical genres such as samba, frevo, Jovem Guarda, choro, bolero, Anglo-American pop and rock, and avant-garde art music, molding them all together to a single unit. The process the tropicalistas went through to create their songs has been called “cultural cannibalism” (Perrone, Dunn
Racial identity is a complicated thing to examine when looking at the social politics of Brazil. The film Brazil in Black and White and Benedita da Silva’s book both tackle the issues of racial identity in similar manners. Brazil has the second highest black population in the world, following only Nigeria, yet Afro-Brazilians are heavily unrepresented in Brazilian education, government, and media. Benedita da Silva, being an Afro-Brazilian congresswoman faced these issues on a personal level and her criticisms are integral in understanding the marginalization of blacks in Brazil.
In Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange, the effects of the marginalization of socioeconomically underprivileged people are depicted through behavior and psychological tendencies. These effects on the marginalized youth portrayed in Burgess’ fictional work draw a parallel to modern-day Brazilian shantytowns, commonly known as favelas. The psychology of behavior and the conflict between the government and the people are two clear-cut examples that illustrate the parallels between both worlds regardless, of the time period they exist in. As the doctors attempt in A Clockwork Orange, what can the Brazilian government do to stop or at least diminish violence and drug abuse among the youth in favelas?
The discourse of self-definition in Brazil is based on perceptions of economic success, material value and social prestige. Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, there was a general scramble to reconstruct individual identity in social success and achievement. “Assertions of moral and cultural (class and racial) superiority” make up the discourses of national and regional identity, while simultaneously setting up the social building blocks of discrimination and stratification (25). Through the strange consumption of not only goods, but the commodification of experiences, the Brazilian middle class sought to redefine their lives and social status, and ultimately create a world that thrives on social division and prejudice.
In the past years, Brazil has celebrated itself as a great economic performer with emerging markets and increasing influence on the international stage. However, in 2013, Brazil was paralyzed by huge demonstrations expressing deep discontent with their governments’ performance. In this paper, I look at the sudden onset of the protest and the absence of it in the previous years. I will argue that despite these protests, the government of Brazil maintains a hegemonic culture that propagates its own values and practices. Brazil experiences the process of modernization from the above, which does not quite reflect the demands of the lower class. Using Brazil as an example, I will expand on how the political leadership establishes and maintains its control.
Brazil and the United States were both discovered and colonized by Europeans even though their population cultural patterns differ. The way that Brazilians and Americans relate to their families differ. While Americans are raised to be individualists, Brazilians are known to have a close-knit family; Consequently, supporting your family members in Brazil is considered an imperative value. As a result, young Americans achieve their independence much earlier than young Brazilians.
Introduction Brazil is the largest and most populous country in South America. It is the 5th largest country worldwide in terms of both areas (more than 8.5 Mio. km2) and inhabitants (appr. 190 million).
The mass of almost one hundred thousand is edgy. The night is hot, humid, and alive with a feeling in the air so palpable you can almost trace it with your finger. The bleachers are filled to maximum capacity, along a mile-long stretch of paved roadway adjacent to an old brewery. People from all races, classes, and countries are celebrating together at the culmination of the orgiastic, pre-Lenten, hedonistic festival of Carnival. Soon, the first marchers proceed down the corridor to the booming cacophony of bass, snare, and friction drums. The rattling of tambourines, bells, and scrapers add flavor and accent. Like a bird set free, the singing cavaquinho (ukulele) emits its high pitched cries, adding to the frenzy. The marchers and dancers, with their quick, physical movements, undulating hips and heel steps, embody the living sound. It is time for the annual celebration once again in Brazil, time for Carnival, a time once again for the ultimate physical expression of joy: Samba.
...tem. These traits are typical of what has happened throughout history when normal people become subordinate to new and oppressive bureaucracies. It seems that all a treacherous government needs in order to normalize the most disgusting violations of basic human rights is a convincing façade of efficiency. It could be said that the American Dream plays that role in current American society, that it is purely a façade to blind our eyes to the larger system. If the system succeeds in preventing people from gaining awareness of the larger picture, and indeed further compartmentalizes every aspect of life, the line between just and false laws become blurred. Gilliam uses “Brazil” to bring these often overlooked problems with government to the forefront of his viewer’s mind, making apparent that no element of human life is safe from this type of unconscious degeneration.
While there are many other components to culture on the island of Trinidad, these can be named as the most defining aspects. Carnival is a celebration and display of all aspects and diversities of culture on the island. Trinidad's culture is defined by a merging of many. The fact that this sort of integration in able to strive and be celebrated in such brilliance, is an example of how diversity can be celebrated and accepted.
2. Burns, Bradford E. . A History of Brazil: Second Edition. New York: Cornell University Press, 1980.