The febianos: experience, consciousness and agency of Brazilian workers called to war in the Brazilian Expeditionary Force – BEF (1943-1945)

Abstract

This article analyzes the characteristics of a collective identity that emerged among part of the civilians recruited for the Brazilian Expeditionary Force (BEF) and some of their agency attempts during the Italian campaign. The new practices experienced within this collective were very different from the practices adopted in the Brazilian Army. In episodes of indiscipline or in the use of collectively constructed instruments, such as the trench newspaper – E a Cobra Fumou! – we seek to highlight the protagonism of the febianos in relation to the command, composed of career soldiers of the Brazilian Army.

Keywords

• brazilian expeditionary force
• army of caxias
• second world war