Black Hands, Greek Minds: the Luís da Câmara Cascudo narratives on african-Brazilian religions

Abstract

The text talks about the position given to Afro-Brazilians and to the African contribution to Brazilian history and the so-called culture by the erudite Luís da Câmara Cascudo. The object of our analysis are his writings on the African contribution to the constitution of the Brazilian society, especially the book Meleagro. We try to examine the images and the statements that are constantly associated with Afro-Brazilians and the African culture in the works of Cascudo, as he tends, insistently, to deafricanize or whiten the Brazilian culture, especially what he calls popular culture or folklore. The text also tries to understand the opinion of the erudite from Rio Grande do Norte and what makes him have this view on the participation of Africans in the social constitution of the country and its habits.

Keywords

• Afro-Brasileiros
• Cultura Popular
• Câmara Cascud Branqueamento
• Desafricanização