Two Sides of the Same Coin: Modern Gaúcho Identity in Brazil

• Autores: Ruben George Oliven
• Localización: Journal of Latin American Anthropology, ISSN 1085-7052, Vol. 4, Nº. 2, 1999, págs. 106-125
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • This article discusses the process of social construction of modern Gaúcho identity in Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost state of Brazil. I argue that the "Gaúcho" should be conceptualized through a past that existed in the pastoral region of the Campanha, in the southwest of Rio Grande do Sul, as well as with reference to the real figure of the Gaúcho. I explore how and why the 1980s were marked by a growing revival of activities linked to Gaúcho traditions and how Gaúcho identity became an element of dispute. I argue that "traditionalists" and "nativists" tried to position themselves in opposite camps, yet they both argued within the same thematic field, one that was marked by the figure of the Gaúcho, the means of constructing it, the criteria for defining its authenticity, as well as the instances of its legitimacy and consecration