Papers by André Cicalo
This article explores the racial thinking in Brazilian governance exposed during the creation of ... more This article explores the racial thinking in Brazilian governance exposed during the creation of a Circuit of African Heritage in the port area of Rio de Janeiro from 2011 on. The Circuit and the policy discourses that have surrounded its establishment are visibly framed within a philosophy of ethno-racial recognition and multiculturalism, which apparently suggests a rupture from the long-established discourse of mixture and racial democracy in Brazil. Nonetheless, a careful analysis of the creation of the Circuit of African Heritage indicates that policy discourse is not conclusively unsettling the country's traditional faith in a shared, colour-blind national identity.
Por onde os africanos chegaram * Parte do trabalho que levou a esta publicação recebeu fi nanciam... more Por onde os africanos chegaram * Parte do trabalho que levou a esta publicação recebeu fi nanciamento do People Programme (Marie Curie Actions) da European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) sob o acordo de fi nanciamento REA nº PIOF-GA-2012-327465. A pesquisa que viabilizou o artigo também recebeu fi nanciamento da Faperj, edital Apoio às Humanidades. Resumo: Este artigo tem por objeto o processo de institucionalização e patrimonialização da memória da diáspora africana na região portuária do Rio de Janeiro, através de uma refl exão sobre as ações e representações em torno do sítio arqueológico Cais do Valongo, antigo cais de desembarque de cativos africanos. Procuramos compreender como, num determinado contexto, alguns grupos de atores chegam a consensos que favorecem a institucionalização da memória da diáspora africana na região. Acreditamos que a patrimonialização do Cais do Valongo ocorre na interseção de dois fenômenos entrelaçados: a) o reconhecimento do multiculturalismo e da diversidade étnico-racial no Brasil; b) os grandes projetos de revitalização urbana assumidos pelas municipalidades. Concentramos a observação em três grupos de atores: lideranças do movimento negro, pesquisadores acadêmicos e representantes do poder público municipal. Procuramos compreender como, juntos, eles produzem a localidade do Cais do Valongo como principal referência da chegada de africanos escravizados no país. Palavras-chave: diáspora africana, multiculturalismo, patrimonialização, revitalização urbana. Abstract: This article aims to discuss the institutionalization of the heritage of the African diaspora in the port region of Rio de Janeiro, by refl ecting on the actions and meanings developed around the archaeological fi ndings of a slave trade pier, the Valongo Pier. We show how, in a given historic and sociopolitical context, relationships enacted by some institutionalized groups of actors end up converging, recognizing the importance of the institutionalization of this memory. We believe that this process occurs in the intersection of two phenomena: a) the recognition of the multiculturalism and the ethnic-racial diversity in Brazil; b) the urban processes of revitalization lead by the city council. We concentrate our analyses in three main groups of actors: black movement activists, academic searchers and municipality's representatives. We try to show how these actors produce the site of Valongo Pier as the main material reference of the slave trade diaspora in the country.
How, in an increasingly transnational and global world are the challenges of nation and diversity... more How, in an increasingly transnational and global world are the challenges of nation and diversity being squared with ideas about local and community identity? How are the tensions around these themes being articulated by museums, heritage, and cultural policy?
Journal of Latin American Studies, 2015
Horizontes Antropológicos, 2015
Por onde os africanos chegaram * Parte do trabalho que levou a esta publicação recebeu fi nanciam... more Por onde os africanos chegaram * Parte do trabalho que levou a esta publicação recebeu fi nanciamento do People Programme (Marie Curie Actions) da European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) sob o acordo de fi nanciamento REA nº PIOF-GA-2012-327465. A pesquisa que viabilizou o artigo também recebeu fi nanciamento da Faperj, edital Apoio às Humanidades. Resumo: Este artigo tem por objeto o processo de institucionalização e patrimonialização da memória da diáspora africana na região portuária do Rio de Janeiro, através de uma refl exão sobre as ações e representações em torno do sítio arqueológico Cais do Valongo, antigo cais de desembarque de cativos africanos. Procuramos compreender como, num determinado contexto, alguns grupos de atores chegam a consensos que favorecem a institucionalização da memória da diáspora africana na região. Acreditamos que a patrimonialização do Cais do Valongo ocorre na interseção de dois fenômenos entrelaçados: a) o reconhecimento do multiculturalismo e da diversidade étnico-racial no Brasil; b) os grandes projetos de revitalização urbana assumidos pelas municipalidades. Concentramos a observação em três grupos de atores: lideranças do movimento negro, pesquisadores acadêmicos e representantes do poder público municipal. Procuramos compreender como, juntos, eles produzem a localidade do Cais do Valongo como principal referência da chegada de africanos escravizados no país. Palavras-chave: diáspora africana, multiculturalismo, patrimonialização, revitalização urbana. Abstract: This article aims to discuss the institutionalization of the heritage of the African diaspora in the port region of Rio de Janeiro, by refl ecting on the actions and meanings developed around the archaeological fi ndings of a slave trade pier, the Valongo Pier. We show how, in a given historic and sociopolitical context, relationships enacted by some institutionalized groups of actors end up converging, recognizing the importance of the institutionalization of this memory. We believe that this process occurs in the intersection of two phenomena: a) the recognition of the multiculturalism and the ethnic-racial diversity in Brazil; b) the urban processes of revitalization lead by the city council. We concentrate our analyses in three main groups of actors: black movement activists, academic searchers and municipality's representatives. We try to show how these actors produce the site of Valongo Pier as the main material reference of the slave trade diaspora in the country.
This article explores the recent process of engagement by black activists with the archaeological... more This article explores the recent process of engagement by black activists with the archaeological heritage of slavery in the port region of Rio de Janeiro. Black Brazilian social movements have made little political reference to collective memory of enslavement in the past. A change has occurred over recent years in Rio de Janeiro with the archaeological discovery of a slave trade wharf in a landfilled area of the port. As a result of this finding, black activists have started ascribing political importance to Afro-Brazilians’ difficult past, promoting its materialization in the city’s memorial landscape. Not yet explored analytically by other scholars, I suggest that this new approach among activists reflects deep changes in the socio-political scenario within and outside Brazil.
Keywords: Slavery archaeology; heritage policies; Brazil’s black movements; multiculturalism; Atlantic diaspora
This article aims to discuss the institutionalization of the heritage of the African diaspora in ... more This article aims to discuss the institutionalization of the heritage of the African diaspora in the port region of Rio de Janeiro, by re ecting on the actions and meanings developed around the archaeological ndings of a slave trade pier, the Valongo Pier. We show how, in a given historic and sociopolitical context, re- lationships enacted by some institutionalized groups of actors end up converging, recognizing the importance of the institutionalization of this memory. We believe that this process occurs in the intersection of two phenomena: a) the recognition of the multiculturalism and the ethnic-racial diversity in Brazil; b) the urban processes of revitalization lead by the city council. We concentrate our analyses in three main groups of actors: black movement activists, academic searchers and municipality’s representatives. We try to show how these actors produce the site of Valongo Pier as the main material reference of the slave trade diaspora in the country.
This article explores whether and how signs of an Afro-Brazilian experience surfaced during the l... more This article explores whether and how signs of an Afro-Brazilian experience surfaced during the life of SCEC, a trade union of coffee carriers and packers (carregadores e ensacadores de café) that flourished in the port of Rio de Janeiro between 1931 and 1964. In spite of the large presence of Afro-descendant workers at SCEC, black legacy was largely absent in the official discourse of the trade union, which gave emphasis instead to class, nationalism and other color-blind values. This fact is not com- pletely disconnected from the socio-po- litical context of Brazil in that epoch, dominated by the system of labor poli- tics (trabalhismo) and the ideology of racial democracy. However, I point out that markers of a ‘black field’ were not completely alien to SCEC. They still survive in the memories of ensacadores, and are reflected in the racial patterns that have traditionally characterized the docklands of Rio de Janeiro.
Keywords: post-abolition; trade unions; black identity.
Este artigo explora se e como sinais de uma experiência afro-brasileira vieram à tona durante a e... more Este artigo explora se e como sinais de uma experiência afro-brasileira vieram à tona durante a existência do SCEC, um sindicato de carregadores e ensacadores de café que prosperou no porto do Rio de Janeiro entre 1931 e 1964 Apesar da forte presença de trabalhadores afrodescen- dentes no SCEC, o legado negro estava em grande parte ausente do discurso ofi- cial do sindicato, que, em vez disso, colo- cava a ênfase na classe, no nacionalismo e em outros valores não relacionados à cor. Esse fato não está completamente desco- nectado do contexto sociopolítico do Brasil naquela época, dominado pelo sis- tema do trabalhismo e pela ideologia da democracia racial. No entanto, saliento que marcadores de um “campo negro” não eram completamente estranhos ao SCEC. Eles ainda sobrevivem nas memó- rias dos ensacadores e estão refletidos nos padrões raciais que tradicionalmente ca- racterizaram o cais do porto do Rio de Janeiro.
Palavras-chave: pós-abolição; sindica- tos; identidade negra.
El presente numero de Antípoda se constituye en uno particularmente interesante e importante para... more El presente numero de Antípoda se constituye en uno particularmente interesante e importante para nuestra disciplina. La tendencia general en las publicaciones antropológicas, tanto temáticas como teóricas, ha sido su escasa referencia acerca de los contenidos metodológicos que conlleva la práctica etnográfica. En este sentido, los temas sobre las cuales escribimos parecerían contener metodologías implícitas sobre las que no existe discusión. Pocas veces nos preguntamos sobre el significado que tienen y han tenido las transformaciones del método etnográfico, particularmente a partir de la llamada "crisis de la representación" de la antropología, estimulada, en gran parte, por la publicación en 1986 del libro Writing Culture.
Esta preocupación por el significado de la transición es la que nuestro editor invitado Pablo Jaramillo ha querido plasmar en este número de la Revista. En su excelente presentación hace una reflexión detallada sobre el tema, mostrando la necesidad de establecer un debate sobre las teorías que acompañaron (o no acompañaron) las transiciones metodológicas que buscaban ilustrar, a través de etnografías, las profundas transformaciones del llamado mundo posmoderno.
This article discusses the first steps of slavery heritage making in the port region of Rio de Ja... more This article discusses the first steps of slavery heritage making in the port region of Rio de Janeiro, after the prolonged institutional forgetting of the city's slave past. The material presented shows that this slavery memorialisation interweaves with the contemporary flourishing of affirmative action in favour of Afro-descendants in Brazil, which aims to redress historically-rooted social inequalities and to include 'minorities' in the nation. In spite of its inclusive aims, however, the making of slavery heritage in Rio also exposes old and new social imbalances. Some imbalances are revealed, for example, by the different times that certain social actors (i.e., black social movements) have joined the process of public memorialisation in relation to others (i.e., archaeologists and the city council). Other imbalances are revealed through the political meanings that black activists now attach to slavery heritage in support of their struggle.
This ethnographic article discusses how race emerges between discourses of class and space at the... more This ethnographic article discusses how race emerges between discourses of class and space at the University of the State of Rio de Janeiro. Following a legal decision, this academic institution was required to implement racial quotas to combat social exclusion and raise the number of ‘black’ students in public higher education. A crucial question is whether such racially based policies help redress social inequalities, or whether they actually increase discrimination by reifying ‘racial’ di"erences in Brazil. I argue that the social diversity promoted by quotas at the university stresses certain urban tensions and unequal dynamics that come to be re#ected within the university. However, it also reveals novel and positive paths by which policies can negotiate these contrasts.
The article links reflections about Brazilian race relations with institu- tional transnational d... more The article links reflections about Brazilian race relations with institu- tional transnational dialogues between Brazil and ‘Africa’. I point out that although racial/cultural mixture and the ‘brown’ census category have traditionally reflected much of national identity in Brazil, Brazil today is increasingly spelling out its blackness, both on the national and international scenes. I highlight that, not by coincidence, this fact is hap- pening at a historical moment when programmes of ‘black’ affirmative action and other differential politics in favour of Afro-descendants are taking off in the country, and also at a time when Brazil is expanding its geopolitical and economic interests in Africa.
Documentary Film by André Cicalo
This documentary (Portuguese with English subtitles) discusses the remembering of Atlantic slaver... more This documentary (Portuguese with English subtitles) discusses the remembering of Atlantic slavery in the port region of Rio de Janeiro, after its prolonged forgetting within the city's official history. In 2011 the city council of Rio de Janeiro has established a Circuit of African Heritage in the port area, after discovering archaeological remains of slave-trade docks during works of urban regeneration. The film describes some of the aspects of how Afro-Brazilian heritage is being created and appropriated in the area. That said, "Other Africas" also raises questions about how the memorialisation of the black people's past intersects with processes of urban regeneration of the waterfront in Rio (particularly in view of the 2016 Olympics) and also with the current scenario of racial politics in Brazil.
I feel extremely grateful to the people who agreed to give their testimonies for this film, which was entirely directed, filmed, and edited by myself. I hope you will enjoy this free-access audiovisual product, help share it with others, and use it for educational purposes. You can watch the film either in the HD option (recommended) or with in lower resolution (320 and 240p)
The research leading to this result has received funding from the People Programme (Marie Curie Actions) of the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n° PIOF-2012-327465. It is made clear that the work presented reflects only the author’s views and the European Union is not liable for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.
This film, shot in 2008, explores how memory of slavery intersects with life experience, black af... more This film, shot in 2008, explores how memory of slavery intersects with life experience, black affirmation and urban reconversions in contemporary Rio de Janeiro. Despite the central place that Rio de Janeiro played in the Atlantic slave trade until the end of the 19th century, traces of this past have for long looked hidden in the urban landscape. This forgetting is not simply a random phenomenon, it also relates to the myth of racial democracy as an ideal that has actively tried to downplay racial inequalities in Brazil in the name of national mixture. Albeit little visible, the memories of a slave past are not deleted completely. They emerge ambiguously, but also powerfully, in the daily life of Tia Lúcia and Alder, the main characters of this film.
Books by André Cicalo
University racial quotas have caused strong reactions in Brazil, where ideals of racial and cultu... more University racial quotas have caused strong reactions in Brazil, where ideals of racial and cultural mixture are crucial components of national identity. Focusing on an in-depth ethnographic study of a Rio de Janeiro public university and its students, André Cicalo examines the practical and symbolic potential that affirmative action has to redress historically-produced and territorialized inequalities in the urban space. By engaging with the relevant literature on Brazilian race relations, this volume discloses novel considerations, crucial for a possible future reading of race relations, racial classification, and affirmative action in Brazil.
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Papers by André Cicalo
Keywords: Slavery archaeology; heritage policies; Brazil’s black movements; multiculturalism; Atlantic diaspora
Keywords: post-abolition; trade unions; black identity.
Palavras-chave: pós-abolição; sindica- tos; identidade negra.
Esta preocupación por el significado de la transición es la que nuestro editor invitado Pablo Jaramillo ha querido plasmar en este número de la Revista. En su excelente presentación hace una reflexión detallada sobre el tema, mostrando la necesidad de establecer un debate sobre las teorías que acompañaron (o no acompañaron) las transiciones metodológicas que buscaban ilustrar, a través de etnografías, las profundas transformaciones del llamado mundo posmoderno.
Documentary Film by André Cicalo
I feel extremely grateful to the people who agreed to give their testimonies for this film, which was entirely directed, filmed, and edited by myself. I hope you will enjoy this free-access audiovisual product, help share it with others, and use it for educational purposes. You can watch the film either in the HD option (recommended) or with in lower resolution (320 and 240p)
The research leading to this result has received funding from the People Programme (Marie Curie Actions) of the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n° PIOF-2012-327465. It is made clear that the work presented reflects only the author’s views and the European Union is not liable for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.
Books by André Cicalo
Keywords: Slavery archaeology; heritage policies; Brazil’s black movements; multiculturalism; Atlantic diaspora
Keywords: post-abolition; trade unions; black identity.
Palavras-chave: pós-abolição; sindica- tos; identidade negra.
Esta preocupación por el significado de la transición es la que nuestro editor invitado Pablo Jaramillo ha querido plasmar en este número de la Revista. En su excelente presentación hace una reflexión detallada sobre el tema, mostrando la necesidad de establecer un debate sobre las teorías que acompañaron (o no acompañaron) las transiciones metodológicas que buscaban ilustrar, a través de etnografías, las profundas transformaciones del llamado mundo posmoderno.
I feel extremely grateful to the people who agreed to give their testimonies for this film, which was entirely directed, filmed, and edited by myself. I hope you will enjoy this free-access audiovisual product, help share it with others, and use it for educational purposes. You can watch the film either in the HD option (recommended) or with in lower resolution (320 and 240p)
The research leading to this result has received funding from the People Programme (Marie Curie Actions) of the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n° PIOF-2012-327465. It is made clear that the work presented reflects only the author’s views and the European Union is not liable for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.