Clio: Revista de Pesquisa Histórica (Jun 2013)
HISTORY AND MEMORY: THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE ISABEL MYTH VALENCIA, THE SILVA GIRL OF THE GRADES ACADEMICS OF THE WILDLIFE BY CARIOCA PRESS
Abstract
The path of Isabel Valença, made popular in the carnival as “Chica da Silva”, allows us to perceive the importance of the relationship established between culture and media for the debate about genre and race in the years 1960/70. By making use of newspapers, interviews with late sambistas, and books written by journalists and researchers, I have established the grounds for this article. Playing the role of a slave from the colonial period, Isabel was able to concentrate women’s strength and ability to overcome, becoming an example to be followed. The press helped to build the myth and, to this day, continues to revere this character in the cultural scenery of Rio de Janeiro.
