brazil2018.voices.wooster.eduHistory 217 Modern Brazil | spring 2018

History 217 Modern Brazil spring 2018 Menu Skip to content Home About Contact Schedule Policies Assignments Primary Source Analysis: Early Brazil Research Project Book Analysis Wikipedia Entry Class Notes Blog Posts Brazilian History & Culture Blog Post Handouts Readings Additional Readings Technology Resources Two I.S. Symposium Presentations In both of the posters I observed, I saw parallels between Brazil and the US. In analyzing these parallels, I saw unique ways in which the US, Brazil, and other Latin American countries are fighting back against the same problems and systematic hierarchies. Machismo I got to talk with the poster’s creator for a long time about the life of Mexican American women in Chicago, and the positive and negative impact of machismo that they experience. Machismo, deals with essentially the idea of toxic masculinity. Men are brought up in a culture where they are supposed to act a certain way. Otherwise, they are called out for it. Women are in the same boat, but are seen as subservient. As a result, Mexican American women are found to receive much emotional abuse from male partners. One of her biggest findings from this study was that in contrast to people in Mexico, Mexican Americans, men and women alike, are fighting against this hierarchy of oppression. She found that many people believe that the both the oppressors and the oppressed can be victims of machismo. Their fight is based on finding their own identity, requiring them to challenge the system that seeks to rid them of that. There is perhaps something to be said about America and American culture from this study. While sexism and the patriarchy still remains a problem in America, it would appear that fighting against the established order is deeply engrained in American society, both in modern times and historic times. LGBTQ Representation In Danica’s poster, I got to see the amount of representation that lgbtq people receive in Brazil, as well as other Latin American countries. She found that the amount of representation this demographic gets can influence people’s views on same sex marriage. Danica analyzed and surveyed the impact of this representation in all different countries of Latin America using four different models. These models included church attendance, interest in politics, and even how preferences have changed from year to year. Given that the amount of representation varies depending on the country, she concluded that the amount of lgbtq representation does increase favorability of same sex marriage. I’m not surprised with Danica’s results. A similar analysis could be made to the preference of race based on representation. The US government for example is currently predominately white. It is quite possible that racism levels would decrease if more people of color were to be elected to the different levels of government in the years to come. While the US has made great strides towards sexuality equality, such as legalizing gay marriage nationwide, we still have a long way to go. Perhaps our goal should be to get more lgbtq people running for office. The election of transwoman Danica Roem in 2017 proves that a lgbtq candidates have a chance at winning elections. This entry was posted in Uncategorized on May 9, 2018 by William Barnett . What I’ve Learned: Music, Art & The World Music I was completely unaware of the music scene in Brazil, as well as Latin America in general. Since being introduced to the music video Via Milandra, I have been listening to a lot of Brazilian music on my phone and discovering Brazilian artists that I like a lot. Just from listening, I’ve learned a lot about Brazilian music, its forms, styles, influences, and culture. I’ve observed that Brazilian pop music is highly influenced by American pop music. However, it contains many elements of Spanish sounding music, such as Spanish guitar and accordion. Film & TV I was not aware that Brazil had a film and TV industry. American movies seem so dull and uncreative compared to the Brazilian films we watched in class. I was very intrigued in learning about the telenovela format and am actually curious to learn more about them, as well as watch some of them. It’s cool to see how Brazilian life and culture is reflected in its art and entertainment. It gave me great insight into what it’s like to live in Brazil, as well as how Brazil differs from the US. The Rest of The World Is Not So Different It becomes very easy to live in a bubble. I had begun to think that the US was something special, and that our lifestyles and cultures were something unique, in both good and bad ways, from the rest of the world. In studying Brazil, its culture, politics, social issues, and everything else, I realized that Brazil struggles with many of the same problems that we do. I began to realize that the world beyond the US isn’t so different. In fact, in many ways, it’s the same. I realize that there are obvious differences between us and them, such as culture. However, throughout the course, I noticed many underlying and overlying parallels. By studying and analyzing these parallels, our problems seem much more solvable when we look at how Brazil is dealing with the same problems, and where they succeed and fall short. 3.5. The Music of the Rest of the World Is Different In my new fascination with Brazilian music, I have grown curious to learn what music from other countries is like. I have learned that as a composer, I need to escape my musical bubble of southern California American pop music and listen to the music of other countries. Aside from Brazil, my new craving for foreign music has (metaphorically) brought me to India, Argentina, South Korea, Egypt, Japan and Mexico. I hope to try writing a piece or pieces in one of these foreign styles. I look forward to seeing where else in the world my love for music and new curiosity for it will take me, as well as what I will learn about our world from it. This entry was posted in Uncategorized on May 9, 2018 by William Barnett . Lessons Learned I’ve been really grateful that I’ve been able to be a member of this course. I thought that moving so far from home would mean spending long periods of time without hearing my own languages being spoken in public, and yet every lecture I got to see representation of my culture being discussed among students. It’s been amazing, and I’ve learned a ridiculous amount of information, but some major concepts have really stuck with me. The Origins of a Mixed Population & the Racial Democracy Fallacy I knew coming in that Brazil had a diverse population, but this course really opened my eyes to an issue I was otherwise kept away from. How and why Portugal was able to import so many slaves, and the lasting impact their presence had in Brazil is one of the most crucial concepts someone could possibly learn from this class. This idea of a Racial Democracy wrecks havoc on society, and serves to disguise major ongoing issues that burden the lives of so many Brazilians today. On a personal note, I did some research and found out that my great-grandparents came to Brazil from Italy…right around the time of the Branqueamento. Yikes! Gender Dynamics I’m glad I jumped on Beyond Carnival as fast as I did. Homosexuality isn’t really a subject to chat about over dinner, but I always knew that Brazil’s LGBT+ population was there. This book gave me such a great way to not only learn about the history of gay men, but also how masculinity was valued in Brazilian culture. On the opposite end, Marina’s I.S. on Martyrdom and Maternalism was so interesting, and drew a spotlight onto women’s roles in Brazilian society. Choosing my own book and having her knowledge in the classroom helped create a full image of gender in Brazil. Culture of the Favelas I could only ever hear stories about the Favelas, and know basic facts about how they’re structured, but now I feel like I could talk freely about the culture within these neigh...