Studying Indigenous Brazil: the Xavante and the Human Sciences, 1958-2015 Rosanna Dent University of Pennsylvania, [email protected]
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University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations 2017 Studying Indigenous Brazil: The Xavante And The Human Sciences, 1958-2015 Rosanna Dent University of Pennsylvania, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations Part of the Latin American History Commons Recommended Citation Dent, Rosanna, "Studying Indigenous Brazil: The Xavante And The umH an Sciences, 1958-2015" (2017). Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations. 2255. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/2255 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/2255 For more information, please contact [email protected]. Studying Indigenous Brazil: The Xavante And The umH an Sciences, 1958-2015 Abstract This dissertation is a history of how Indigenous people and scholars from the natural and social sciences have engaged one another since the 1950s in Brazil. Through a case study of the Xavante, one of the most intensely studied groups in Central Brazil, it traces the evolution of relationships between researchers and research subjects. Xavante communities began establishing contact with Brazilian national society in the mid-1940s in the wake of settler colonial expansionism. This high-profile process of contact drew interest from researchers, with the first long-term academic ethnographer arriving in 1958. Scholars from across the human sciences followed, particularly from the fields of anthropology, human genetics, and public health. During subsequent decades, the Xavante were constructed as a population, characterized, and circulated internationally in the form of data, biological samples, and publications. In this sense, this story provides a thread to follow the development of twentieth-century approaches to the characterization of human cultural and biological diversity. It is a history of the building of national research institutions in Brazil and a transnational account of knowledge production during the Cold War and after its end. However, by combining the national and transnational with attention to the intimate experience of research, this project traces the history of creation and circulation of academic scholarship back to its origin in the field. As an in-depth examination of the iterative fieldwork that underlay these large-scale processes, this study is locally grounded in the Xavante villages and the interpersonal interactions and labor that form the basis for knowledge production. It shows how Indigenous people have engaged in scientific knowledge making for their own social, economic, and political ends, and have, in the process, shaped the scholars and disciplines that sought to characterize them. It is a history of how researchers and subjects made and remade themselves through the human entanglement of research. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group History and Sociology of Science First Advisor M. Susan Lindee Keywords Brazil, Human Sciences, Indigenous Studies, Twentieth Century Subject Categories Latin American History This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/2255 STUDYING INDIGENOUS BRAZIL: THE XAVANTE AND THE HUMAN SCIENCES, 1958-2015 Rosanna Jane Dent A DISSERTATION in History and Sociology of Science Presented to the Faculties of the University of Pennsylvania in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2017 Supervisor of Dissertation _________________ M. Susan Lindee, Janice and Julian Bers Professor of History and Sociology of Science Graduate Group Chairperson _________________ Beth Linker, Associate Professor, History and Sociology of Science Dissertation Committee Robert Aronowitz, Professor, History and Sociology of Science Adriana Petryna, Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Term Professor of Anthropology Seth W. Garfield, Professor of History, University of Texas - Austin STUDYING INDIGENOUS BRAZIL: THE XAVANTE AND THE HUMAN SCIENCES, 1958-2015 COPYRIGHT 2017 Rosanna Jane Dent This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/ To my mother, Patricia Rushbrooke Higgins iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Reading acknowledgements is one of my favorite parts of research, and having a chance to express my gratitude is even better. This project is the product of more human connections and affective labor than I will ever adequately express, but it is a joy to try. My first thanks go to the many people in Brazil and the United States who agreed to become subjects of my study, and in so doing shared much more than just their scholarship and memories. Porto Alegre was a wonderful starting point for this project. Francisco Mauro Salzano’s generosity of time and spirit reflect his profound commitment to knowledge production across the disciplines. He recorded hours of oral history and answered many questions, and as I sat and researched in an adjacent office, I witnessed the dedication, exacting standards, and considerate mentorship that Professor Salzano has used to build the field of human genetics in Brazil over the past half-century. Maria Cátira Bortolini sponsored this project, offering institutional support and explaining a great deal of contemporary genetics research with exceptional clarity. Even more importantly she helped me learn about the landscape and geopolitics of genetics research in Brazil and taught me to love Porto Alegre. Láci Krupahtz shared her space, her insight, and her gauchês with me during the five months I camped out at a nearby desk—I have seldom been so happily caffeinated and well accompanied. Many other members and former members of the Programa de Pós Graduação em Genética e Biologia Molecular of the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul contributed to this research. Among them, Sandro Bonnato, Mara Hutz, Virginia Ramallo, Fernando José da Rocha, Girley V. Simões, and Tania Weimer kindly shared iv their reflections and time with me in the form of oral history interviews. Claiton Bau’s enthusiasm for history was an encouragement, and his work to sustain the Museu da Genética, a resource. Elmo J. Antunes Cardoso helped with all things logistical with cheer and good will. Pamela Páre da Rosa and Pedro Vargas included me in the lab. While in Porto Alegre I collected much more material than I have been able to incorporate into this dissertation, particularly as my focus shifted from a broad history of genetics to a specific story about the Xavante. I look forward to drawing on these materials and reflections in future examinations of the rich history of the PPGBM. Ricardo Ventura Santos’ scholarship in the history of science has been an influence since the very beginning. To make matters even better, he responded with considerable poise when I explained in 2014 that I hoped he would become one of my subjects of study. In addition to introducing me into the world of the xavantólogos, Ricardo has also become a friend, a coauthor, and a mentor who always seems to know the right question to ask. I first met Nancy Flowers in Rio in 2012, and her story led me to reorient this project to the Xavante. In our oral history interviews, it quickly became clear that Nancy’s vivacious sense of humor is matched only by her pragmatic curiosity and sharp mind. In addition to sharing archival materials for a digital archive project, Nancy took time to read and discuss a number of chapters in this dissertation, which are better for her comments. Carlos Coimbra somehow is always able to make things happen, and to do so with efficiency and grace. James Welch took time both to recount his experiences in the field with patience and precision, and to include me in the ongoing project Wahöimanazé: Documentação das tradições culturais e históricas Xavante under the sponsorship of the Museu do Índio. It was James’ advice and support that made it v possible for me to join this project, which was the beginning of a steep learning curve. In 2014 I met with Tsuptó Buprewên Wa’iri Xavante and three elders Barbosa Sidówi Wai’azase Xavante, Luiz Hipru Xavante, and Agostinho Seseru Xavante to discuss my project and its potential relevance for the village of Pimentel Barbosa. With their agreement, I joined Wahömanazé and began working to collect images and research materials that might be of use in the village. I traveled to Pimentel Barbosa Village in July 2015. I am grateful to the members of the warã who considered and agreed to my proposal to work on the project for a period of just under four weeks. Many people offered support and made my stay possible, and while I include names of only those individuals who specifically gave me permission, I am grateful to all that helped. Special thanks go to my adoptive father Sereburã and to my adoptive uncle Sidówi, who cared for me in many ways—likely more than I know. Sidówi, who passed on in 2017, is sorely missed. I am also particularly grateful for the work of the elders who spent time viewing digital materials for the archive and sharing and recording their memories. Tsuptó offered crucial support of interpretation and guided me in many ways. For their work on Wahömanazé and for their company, I thank Romeu, Marco Aurélio, and especially Lincon. Teacher Delci Lúcia Schmitz offered company, delicious food, and encouragement at a few key moments at the post. Many others in Brazil spoke with me, sharing their experiences and perspectives with generosity, humor, and insight. They include in Rio: Aline A. Ferreira, Luciene Guimarães de Souza, Nilza Pereira, Sérgio Rego, Pedro Paulo Vieira, and Verônica Zembrzuski. In Brasília: Carla Teixera, Cláudio dos Santos Romero, Roque de Barros Laraia, Julio Cezar Melatti, and Bianca Coelho Moura. In Belo Horizonte: Fabrício vi Rodrigues dos Santos and Marilza Jota offered reflections on the Genographic Project with great enthusiasm. In São Paulo, Marta Amoroso, Rubens Ianelli (who also shared his art), and Regina Aparecida Polo Müller all contributed.