After racial democracy? The state’s rhetorical reconstruction of national identity in Brazil (1990–2019)

Abstract

ABSTRACT The weakening of ‘racial democracy,’ or the idea of Brazil as a color-blind society that was central to what being Brazilian meant throughout much of the 20th century, raises a question about how the state attempts to reconstruct national identity rhetorically after the deconstruction of this foundational myth. I propose to answer this question by examining how 10 presidential inauguration speeches given between 1990 and 2019 challenge the myth of racial democracy inconsistently, characterize Brazilian national identity generally around the theme of societal resilience, and contest ‘racial democracy’ and ‘national identity’ content along ideological lines. My findings imply that state rhetoric may not acknowledge the myth’s deconstruction fully, while engaging in the reconstruction of national identity in a highly fragmented fashion around the ability to withstand adversity.