Stuart B. Schwartz's The Portuguese Heritage: The Brazilian Mosaic

Brazil is seen as a country that flourishes with life. The people appear to be friendly, life seems to be grandeur, and society does not seem to battling social issues. This is the image that Brazil portrays to the world. Behind this image there is a society is that it torn by identity and race. It is an internal struggle. The people of Brazil are a direct product of the past, personal motives and social feelings have changed. This will be shown by various examples of race throughout the colonial era, the military period, and present Brazilian sentiments. Brazil uses the influences from the past to combat current issues. Brazilian Mosaic states that over three million slaves were brought to Brazil because of the slave trade, and no women were with the male settlers. This allows the start of one of Brazil’s most crucial disparities – the challenges because of skin color. This issue has persisted throughout the country’s history, and it is something that Brazil glosses over. Stuart B. Schwartz in The Portuguese Heritage: Adaptability says that a famous painting of three girls represent the three major races as, “Indian, Negro, and white”. This painting acknowledges these three races to represent the Brazilian society, yet only the white
It states that the African heritage is being more accepted, but because of the lack of opportunities present, this creates a disconnect. Brazil is learning from the past, and is trying to improve at this point in the military period. As written by Thomas G. Sanders in The Social Functions of Futebol, futebol can be used as a type of propaganda. It leads people to believe Brazil is free from racism and that it is an equal opportunity lands for those of any color. This is not the case, and the painful past of slavery and preliminary discrimination from the colonization of Brazil carries weight in present day