The Romanies as the fourth Brazilian population cornerstone: the “Ciganos” of José de Melo Morais Filho

• In Event: Becoming Brazilian: Migrant Cultures in Contemporary Brazil

Abstract

The study of the Romani population in the Lusophone world is incipient. Some of the earliest publications related to this marginalized minority are Alexandre José de Melo Morais Filho’s books “Cancionero dos Ciganos” and “Os Ciganos no Brasil” , reedited in the Coleção Reconquista do Brasil in 1981. The reprint had a significant impact in the field of Brazilian Romani Studies and its work is often cited as one of the earliest anthropological references. The folklorist Morais Filho writes during a period of intense migration and colonization, formation of the Brazilian nation-state, and redefinition of socio-racial structures. Through the study of the “miscegenated” superstitious practices of the Romanies, Morais complements Sílvio Romero’s fable of the three races, adding “ciganos” as the forth population cornerstone of Brazilian nation. The most common “Gypsy” stereotypes” related to their nomadism, vagrancy, and musicianship can be found in his work. Reading these monographies invites us to question academic colonialism, but also allow us to think how they have incentivized Romani self-determination and the assumption of citizenship. Through the concept of “space of production” (Michel de Certeau) we may ask ourselves how did Morais Filho contribute to the idea of Romanies being part of Brazilian imaginary community?

Author

• Mariana Sabino-Salazar, University of Texas at Austin