Veja and Brazilian Race Relations The Gazeta da Tarde and the Case of Tira-Couro

Abstract

HISTORY

VEJA AND BRAZILIAN RACE RELATIONS

THE GAZETA DA TARDE AND THE CASE OF TIRA-COURO

NICOLETTE M. WILHIDE

Thesis under the direction of Dr. Marshall Eakin and Dr. Jane Landers

The first paper examines representations of race in the advertisements of the popular Brazilian magazine Veja from the 1970s through the 1990s. As the self-proclaimed mouthpiece for the middle class, Veja magazine offers a unique window into shifting concepts of race and national identity during a tumultuous period in history. The second paper examines the murder of Escrava Maria on Christmas Day 1883 as seen in the abolitionist newspaper, the Gazeta da Tarde. When newspaper accounts of the murder are compared to the case file and autopsy reports compiled by the local law enforcement, a very different story is revealed. Analysis of the discrepancies between the two versions of the death of Maria, offer a greater understanding of the nature of Brazilian slavery. Additionally, Brazil’s political and economic transition into abolition forms a critical backdrop to this tragic account.