Ester Nelly Abuter Ananías - Fachbereich Philosophie und ...

Rachel Esteves Lima ( Universidade Federal da Bahia, Letras Vernáculas, Salvador,
Brazil )
When Th eories Travel : European Presence in Brazilian Literary Criticism
Th e study aims to discuss the process of assimilation, appropriation and “resignifi
cation”, by Brazilian intellectuals, of Europeanthwoei-grown ideas, theories and
research methodologies, taking the fi eld of literary criticism as a privileged space of
analysis. In the process, we highlight two instances where contact between Brazil and
Europe intensifi ed : in the fi rst case, foreign professors who were involved in laying the
foundations for the Brazilian university system in the 1930s were responsible for the
implementation of what philosopher Paulo Arantes called our “late-born Aufk lärung”,
by means of the introduction into Brazilian research of a new intellectual posture
in which there stood out the employment of scientifi c investigation techniques, the
valorization of personal refl ection, the establishment of methodological analysis
criteria and the need for greater investment in understanding Brazilian reality ; in the
second case, there occurs a reverse process, in which Brazilian researchers take up the
role of travellers when, as of the 1970s, state funding allowed them to complete their
academic formation in Europe, where they came into contact with the text-analysis
procedures developed during the golden years of literary theory. Departing from the
reading of a corpus made up of interviews and statements given by the major names
in Brazilian literary criticism who took part in both these moments, we intend to
ascertain the main contributions, as well as the possible diffi culties arising from such
intellectual contacts, to the consolidation of this fi eld of knowledge in Brazil.
Email rachellima@uol.com.br
Section Th eories of Mobility and Travel Literature
Panel 85
Date July 31
Time 10 :45
Location k l 29/208