Description
Book SynopsisThis book explores conflicting conceptions of Brazilian national identity as they are expressed in contemporary Brazilian cinema, especially those revolving around the long-standing claim that Brazil is a racial democracy.
Trade Review'In this very readable book, Heise takes a fresh, innovative approach to the topic of contemporary Brazilian cinema by analysing how a range of both documentary and fiction films engage with notions of national identity. This book is an important addition to the growing bibliography on films of the so-called 'retomada' or renaissance of Brazilian cinema that began in the mid-1990s, and is essential reading for students and scholars working in this field. It will also appeal to a general readership with an interest in contemporary cinema or Brazilian culture.' Dr Lisa Shaw, Reader in Portuguese and Brazilian Studies, University of Liverpool 'This book offers to the English reader, for the first time, an overarching picture of Brazil's thriving contemporary film production. Heise has devised an insightful method to tackle its complexity, by focusing on the recurrent trope of brasilidade, that is, the idea of national belonging. The categories she establishes in order to organise her vast material - 'celebratory', 'reformist', 'oppositional' and 'alternative' - are bound to become common currency among film scholars. Bold in its assertions and unafraid of canonical theories, Remaking Brazil is a compelling testament to the resilience of the nation in the transnational era.' Professor Lucia Nagib, Centenary Professor of World Cinemas, University of Leeds
Table of ContentsIntroduction PART 1: The Making of Brazilian National Identity Chapter 1: Forging the Nation Chapter 2: Modernity, Exclusion and Inclusion Chapter 3: The Authoritarian State and Nation Building Chapter 4: Resisting the Dominant Ideology PART 2: Projected Identities in Contemporary Brazilian Cinema Chapter 5: Celebration: The Brazilian Way of Being Chapter 6: Reform: The Land of Samba, Football and Inequality Chapter 7: Resistance: Asserting Alternative Identities Chapter 8: Opposition: Visions of Disorder (a sample of this chapter is provided)
