Brazilian Rhetoric Studies (Research Proposal)

Religious Rhetoric in Post-Colonial Brazil and the

Politicization of Liberation Theology

Research Proposal

Brazil is one of the largest nations in the Americas and an emerging economic and political player on the global stage. Unfortunately, many people do not have an adequate understanding or historical knowledge of Brazil – let alone of its political and socioeconomic issues. There are only a handful of graduate programs in the world dedicated to the field of Brazilian studies. There is a definite need for a wider range of publications and literature on the subject of Brazil. The problem I choose to explore is one of religious rhetoric concerning the political and religious development of Brazil 0 specifically the period in between 1960 and 1990, when dramatic politics forever changed the face of Brazil and the United States’ attitudes toward Brazil. Specifically, I believe more people can benefit from understanding Brazil’s socioeconomic situation through the lens of religious rhetoric and the relationship between government, religion, and the masses of oppressed citizens living in abject poverty and a post-military dictatorship that did and still involves Liberation Theology and related religious rhetoric movements.

There are some overarching questions I would like to answer through my research, but also many specific questions I will direct special attention to. The main questions are as follows, in order from more general to more specific:

How was religious rhetoric used during the military regime and coup in Brazil 1964 until 1985 when the regime ended?

• What role did Liberation Theology play in the military regime – for or against it?
• How was religious rhetoric used in the United States by the Johnson Administration to support the military regime in Brazil of ‘64-‘85? And the Carter administration?
• How did/does the Vatican, a powerful pseudo-political group, employ religious rhetoric in the Liberation Theology movement?
• How has Liberation Theology affected Brazil’s political and social climate today? Did it have any positive or negative effects on the regime changes in Brazil?
• What role did religious rhetoric play in the uncovering of the atrocities of the Brazilian military dictatorship? And in the United States’ foreign policy on Brazil?

I will be answering these questions in the form of a publishable research essay (appropriate for graduate school admissions, as well as interested readers) with a strong thesis as a result of my findings. Traditional academic research paper in MLA style is my format of choice, with headings for each topic or section (somewhat outlined above).

My primary methods of research will be library texts on the history of pre-military Brazil and the development of Brazil to present day, news articles that focus on current and recent Liberation Theology issues, and websites dedicated to the study of so-called “third world religion” that cover Liberation theology, prominent figures and groups involved in the religious development of Brazil, as well as the beginning, progression, and end of the military regime in Brazil. I may or may not use video sources and/or previously taped videos of interviews with relevant figures (such as James Green, of Brown University).