Brazilian Biographies

How do the famous Brazilian singers Carmen Miranda and Caetano Veloso fit into any comprehensive understanding of Brazilian history? Do the life stories of the eighteenth-century freed slave Xica da Silva or the twentieth-century favela dweller and best-selling author Carolina Maria de Jesus represent unique characters or larger social phenomena of different times and places? How have Brazilian and foreign authors written the history of Brazil through portraits of individuals. This course will examine life stories of Brazilians of all races and social classes through texts, documents, and films to see what these biographical portrayals reveal about Brazilian history/culture. P