Soccer and Racism: The Beginnings of Futebol in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, 1895-1933

Description

This book aims to use soccer as a tool to understand key elements of Brazil's history from the overthrown of the Monarchy in 1889 to the 1930 Revolution that brought Getulio Vargas to power-the so called First Republic. More specifically, this book will show that the advent of soccer and the reactions of the elites toward this sport can be understood primarily as a consequence of the desire of the new Republic-crucially influenced by racist attitudes integral to Social Darwinism-to be included within the white civilized world. Thus, racism during the early years of football in that country was influenced by the eurocentric views of the world in racial terms and the Brazilian elites desire to be accepted by the civilized white world.

Rosana Barbosa is a professor in the history department at Saint Mary's University, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

"Using engaging and agile prose, Barbosa skillfully uses soccer as a prism to explore critical factors related to Brazilian history. This excellent book clearly reveals how Brazil's widely popular sport has been intrinsically connected since its origins to questions regarding economic development, national identity and social and racial relations." - Jorge A. Nallim, Professor, Department of History, University of Manitoba, Canada. " In this book, Rosana Barbosa provides an innovative and deeply insightful interpretive discussion of the role of soccer as an instrument of change in Brazil. It is characterized not only by analytical insight but also by nuance and sensibility. It is a vivid study of sports history and Brazilian history, andmost importantly, a demonstration of the inseparability of both during a crucial era."- Dr. John Reid, Saint Mary's University, Nova Scotia, Canada. "In this short but informative study, Rosana Barbosa demonstrates the pervasive influence of European racial superiority on the early history of Brazilian football. Focusing on Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, Soccer and Racism reveals a segregated sport built by Anglophone elites, who ultimately lost racial control of the beautiful game." - Dr Alan McDougall, Professor of History, University of Guelph, Canada.