30809 - History of Portuguese Culture (LM)

Learning outcomes

A very good knowledge of Portuguese is essential, since the lessons will be taught in this language. Furthermore, thestudent has wideknowledges about thehistoric, political, philosophical, religious andsocio-economic contextof thePortuguese culture.He has high capacity tounderstand and to elaborate acritical analysis of the cultural specificities of this area. He is able to develop a complex analysis handling complex conceptual issues and to formulate sharp reflections on thetopics of thisspecific area of studies.

Course contents

The course, entitled “Resistance to authoritarianisms: other voices in the Brazilian 20th century”, will be taught integrally in Portuguese. It will connect the political history of the Brazilian XX century to the context of some opposition movements, including the feminine and feminist literary voices as well, which allow a situated reinterpretation of the historical events. Among the principal subjects, writings and activism of women writers (Patrícia Galvão, Maria Lacerda de Moura, Heloneida Studart, Maria Valéria Rezende, Maria Pilla, Sonia Bischain, Adriana Lisboa e Liniane Haag Brum etc.) and the current theoretical feminist production (Léila Gonzalez, Djamila Ribeiro, Márcia Tiburi) will be taken into account. Such an approach will turn possible to better highlight the experiences and the resistance of women and other underrepresented sectors in the two gloomy authoritarian moments of the Brazilian contemporary history (Vargas dictatorship, 1937-1946, and the military dictatorship, 1964-1985). Literature and multiple forms of writing and representation will be the interpretative filter that will fuel a reflection on the possible construction of a memory of resistance against authoritarianism, in support of the struggle against the historical removal and denial of past crimes and abuses, which are still characterizing the Brazilian present time. The materials of the course (articles, videos, audios, excerpts from novels, etc.) will be largely provided through the university's Virtuale platform. The course is grounded in the collaboration with the Cátedra Eduardo Lourenço.

Readings/Bibliography

Essential Bibliography

Duarte Lima, C. (2003). Feminismo e literatura no Brasil. Estudos Avançados, 17, 49, São Paulo.

Merlino, T. (2010). Direito à memória e à verdade: Luta substantivo feminino. São Paulo: Editora Caros Amigos. (estratti)

Sarti, C. A. (1998). O início do feminismo sob a ditadura no Brasil: o que ficou escondido, texto apresentado no XXI Congresso Internacional da LASA, Chicago, 24-26 de setembro de 1998.

Holanda, Buarque de, H. (2019). Pensamento feminista brasileiro. Formação e Contexto. Bazar do Tempo (estratti).

Perrot, M. (1989). Praticas da memoria feminina. Revista Brasileira de História, 9 (18), 9–18.

Teles, M. A. d. A. (1999). Breve história do feminismo no Brasil. São Paulo: Editora Brasiliense (estratti).

 

Teaching methods

The method proposed in the course is mixed: it provides, in addition to the traditional lessons, collective workshop for the discussion of common texts, the construction of specific thematic routes to each individual student, the planning shared by all the class of a work project, a final presentation of each personal work with the participation of all the class. In this way, the preparation is assessed partly during the course, not only in a final test. In collaboration with Instituto Camões, an e-learning version of the course is available for any possible interested student.

Assessment methods

The exam aims to assess the achievement of the main learning objectives of the course, namely: forming a deep critical knowledge about the history and theory of Portuguese, Brazilian and African Portuguese-speaking cultures, with particular attention to the relation between literary texts and the historical, cultural and aesthetic contexts; strengthening a wide knowledge and use of critical methodologies and practices for the analysis and interpretation of the critical, historical and cultural contexts. The exam will be articulated on different tests that contribute to determine the final evaluation and disseminated during the course. In fact, it is articulated in different modes: organization of joint seminars where an active participation in the discussion is a favorable element for the assessment of the skills in order to achieve progressively and integrally the course objectives; preparation of a final work with a deep analysis of a topic among those approached during the course and its following discussion in the occasion of a final oral test on the main topics of the course. The student will be put in the condition, either through the lessons and an appropriate path of readings, to achieve the objectives of the course. The evaluation will be proportionate to the performance of the student in the different moments of the course. In this sense, it will be considereted satisfactory an informed knowledge of the main topics addressed, intersected with critical methodologies used during the development of the course. If this essential level is not achieved, the student will be put anyway in the condition, through an integrative program of individual readings, to reach an acceptable level of comptences. The articulation of the knowledges on a more varied and lucidly composed textual, contextual and critical framework, dialoguing not only with the premises but also with the most crucial topics of the course, in particular those of conceptual order, will add value to the overall evaluation of the student. Finally, in this context, the integration of a critical and orginal contribution, capable to open new and alternative perspectives of analysis and interpretation of the mains issues of the course, is evaluated as an excellent result of the student's performance.

Teaching tools

The course defines a strict dialogue among critical concepts, literatures, arts and cultures. For this reason, beside literary texts, to which a specific workshop (reading and commenting) will pay special attention, other multemidia and internet contents will be introduced, in order to build an organic and clear framework of the morphology of the cultures in Portuguese languages. Different materials and texts used during the lessons are made ​​available to students for a better prepration of the course.

Links to further information

https://www.unibo.it/sitoweb/roberto.vecchi

Office hours

See the website of Alessia Di Eugenio