Sailing in the waters of brazilian identity: a reflection around The masters and the slaves and Tent of Miracles

Abstract

This essay aims to explore the question of Brazilian racial identity and, more particularly, put two well-known authors in dialogue: Gilberto Freyre and Jorge Amado. Both the sociologist from Pernambuco and the writer from Bahia have been repeatedly juxtaposed when one wants to reflect on the construction of Brazilian identity, therefore the comparison that we are establishing here is not new. We believe, however, that the boundaries of this comparison have not been exhausted. A close reading of The Masters and the Slaves (1933) and Tent of Miracles (1968) will allow us, on the one hand, to check how the comparison between the two authors has been made and, second, to confirm or disconfirm if they address and present the question of racial democracy and the nation in the same way.

Keywords

• identidade brasileira
• democracia racial
• gilberto freyre
• jorge amado