#182 For an Anthropology of the Brazilian Tradition
By Roberto Da Matta
Summary
In this working paper, Roberto Da Matta, from the University of Notre Dame writes a sweeping overview of the historical roots and theories of Brazilian "culture." As he writes, "When one speaks of tradition, care should be taken to avoid turning it into a mystery. To do this is to fall into a relativism that social anthropology has consistently avoided. Man and his societies are certainly diverse, but once differences are discovered, one must show how one difference can be turned into another; that is, one must go back over the road, retracing it inversely. Otherwise, all that is left is a catalogue of mutually inaccessible human experiences. Traditions reveal not only differences but similarities as well."
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