Sob a negrura da raça: Um estudo sobre o racialismo no Brasil a partir dos romances O mulato e O cortiço de Aluísio Azevedo (1880 – 1890)

Abstract

This paper investigates the reasons that led people of African descent to be racialized in Brazil in the 19th century, especially between 1880 and 1890. From the novels O mulato and O cortiço, by Aluísio Azevedo, the way the author represents his characters is analyzed, particularly those categorized within the racial taxonomies "black" and "mulatto," considering the change in his way of seeing and thinking about the world, both in relation to these characters and to a broader context in the periods before and after abolition. This change is, therefore, correlated with the doctrines prevailing in both periods. Theoretically and methodologically, this work employs the concepts of representation, practice, and appropriation, developed by Roger Chartier, to investigate the ideas present in the discourses inscribed both in the novels and in other primary sources, in comparison. In addition to literature, other textual research sources are used, ranging from small newspaper articles to works by renowned abolitionists such as Joaquim Nabuco and Enlightenment thinkers like Georges-Louis Leclerc and FrançoisMarie Arouet. In short, the aim is to understand the reasons for racialism in 19th-century Brazil, focusing on people of African descent.