ATH315MILESTONEONE (1)

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Southern New Hampshire University *

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315

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Anthropology

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Jan 9, 2024

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Approach ATH 315 2-2 Final Project Milestone One

The South American country that I choose to research is Brazil. Brazil has always fascinated me because it is a larger country that seems more diverse than other South American countries. Another reason why I am drawn to Brazil is because my boyfriend was born and raised in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, and I would love to know more about Brazilian culture and history. I know that Brazilian culture is very rich in history and would make an excellent country to tour. Theory The theory that I will research is diffusionism and acculturation. Diffusionism is when one culture spreads its culture to another area. Using original items, traditions, or ideas can be shared with others for them to learn different things. Acculturation is similar, but with one culture taking over a whole other culture (King et al., 2017). This theme seemed appropriate for Brazilian culture because many other countries have influenced Brazilian culture. We can also use this theory to support some of the bad press that Brazil faces. Racism is a problem in Brazil, as well as everywhere else. Europeans brought African slaves to Brazil (Ramos, 1941, p. 244). Religion was also brought by the Europeans, and the Catholic church supported slavery (Ramos, 1986, p. 446). Church was just one path in which acculturation happened. The Portuguese forced their traditions and religion on the African slaves and Native Brazilians (Ramos, 1986, p. 450). Resistance and Domination Brazilian Independence Day is September 7th, 1822. Brazil was colonized by Portugal in 1500. The Portuguese and white Europeans dominated Brazil even with the many African slaves that they brought over. The first Portuguese settlement in Brazil was in São Vicente. Soon there was intermingling between the Europeans, Africans, and the Amerindians

(Indigenous Brazilians). The mixed races with the darker complexions were considered a lower class and had lower positions in jobs. The whites dominated the country (Cartwright, 2021). As for resistance, there were times when the indigenous Brazilians performed heretical acts as a form of indigenous resistance. They would do tribal rituals that were against the religions of the colonizers (Russell-Wood, 2001, p. 86). Ethnography Using an ethnographic method can tell us so much about Brazilian culture. Ethnography is studying one specific culture and society. Brazil’s culture has been highly influenced by Portuguese culture. Ethnography can show us the religious and traditional values of Brazilian culture. It can also show us some things like the types of food they eat, language, daily customs, instruments, music, and dance. In order to find this information there will be much research that will include interviews, observation, and analysis. This method is the best to get a true and accurate representation of a culture. Theoretical Perspectives Some theoretical perspectives consist of holism, cultural relativism, cross-cultural studies, and fieldwork. All of these perspectives come together to paint the whole picture. Holism is how the mind thinks and the way that people act or react. We need holism to understand traditions and customs. Cultural relativism is understanding a person's culture without judgment or bias. Cross-cultural studies help compare one culture to another, and fieldwork is studying a culture in its reality (Cassar, 2023). Fieldwork is very important when studying a culture because you see things in real-time, and have first-hand experience while living in this other culture.

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References Cartwright, M. (2021, July 8). Portuguese Brazil . World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/Portuguese_Brazil/ Cassar, C. (2023, May 4). What are the key components of the anthropological perspective? Anthropology Review. https://anthropologyreview.org/anthropology- explainers/key-components-of-the-anthropological-perspective King, G., Wright, M., & Goldstein, M. (2017, April 24). Diffusionism and Acculturation . The University of Alabama. https://anthropology.ua.edu/theory/diffusionism-and- acculturation/ Ramos, A. (1941). Acculturation Among the Brazilian Negroes. The Journal of Negro History . https://doi.org/JNH2715251 Ramos, D. (1986). Community, Control and Acculturation: A Case Study of Slavery in Eighteenth Century Brazil. The Americas , 42 (4), 419–451. https://doi.org/10.2307/1007059 Russell-Wood, A. J. R. (2001). Brazilian Archives and Recent Historiography on Colonial Brazil. Latin American Research Review , 36 (1), 75–105. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2692075

ATH315MILESTONEONE (1)

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