Darcy Ribeiro
Encyclopedia
Darcy Ribeiro was a Brazilian anthropologist, author
and politician
. Darcy Ribeiro's ideas of Latin America
n identity have influenced several later scholars of Latin American studies. As Minister of Education of Brazil he carried out profound reforms which led him to be invited to participate in university reforms in Chile
, Peru
, Venezuela
, Mexico
and Uruguay
after leaving Brazil due to the 1964 coup d'état.
, in Minas Gerais
, at the Grupo Escolar Gonçalves Chaves and at the Ginásio Episcopal de Montes Claros. He is best known for development work in the areas of education
, sociology
and anthropology
and for being, along with his friend and colleague Anísio Teixeira, one of the founders of the University of Brasília
(Universidade de Brasília) in the early 1960s. He also served as the first rector of that university. He was the founder of the State University of Norte Fluminense
(Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense) as well. He wrote numerous books, many of them about the indigenous populations of Brazil.
During the first mandate of governor Leonel Brizola
in Rio de Janeiro (state)
(1983–1987), Darcy Ribeiro created, planned and directed the implementation of the Integrated Centres for Public Instruction (Centros Integrados de Ensino Público), a visionary and revolutionary pedagogical project of assistance for children, including recreational and cultural activities beyond formal instruction – making concrete the projects envisioned decades earlier by Anísio Teixeira. Long before politicians incorporated the importance of education for the development of Brazil into their discourse, Darcy Ribeiro and Leonel Brizola
had already developed these ideals.
In the elections of 1986, Ribeiro was the Democratic Labour Party PDT candidate for the governorship of Rio de Janeiro (state)
, running against Fernando Gabeira
(at that time affiliated with the Workers’ Party PT), Agnaldo Timóteo of the Social Democratic Party (PDS) and Moreira Franco of the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB). Riberio was defeated, being unable to overcome the high approval rating of Moreira who was elected due to the popularity of the then-recent currency reform, the Cruzado Plan (Plano Cruzado). Another defeat was in 1994, when he was Brizola's running-mate in presidential election
; Darcy Ribeiro was also chief of staff
(Ministro-chefe da Casa Civil) in the cabinet of President João Goulart
, vice-governor of Rio de Janeiro (state)
from 1983 to 1987 and exercised the mandate of senator from Rio de Janeiro from 1991 until his death – which was proceeded by a long battle with cancer that emotionally touched all of Brazilian society: Darcy Ribeiro, ever the ardent and controversial defender of his ideas, received during his long illness recognition and admiration not only from friends but also from adversaries.
school of sociology and anthropology. He believed that peoples went though a "civilizatory process" beginning as hunter-gatherer
s. This "civilizatory process" was according to him marked by technological revolutions, and among these he stress the eight more important as the following:
Ribeiro proposed also a classification scheme for Latin American countries where he identified "New Peoples" (Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, Venezuela etc.), that merged from the mix of several cultures; "Testimony Peoples" (Peru, Mexico, Ecuador, Guatemala and Bolivia), remnants of ancient civilizations; and Argentina and Uruguay, former "New Peoples" that became "Transplantated Peoples", essentially European, after massive immigration.
. He was formally received into the Academy on April 15, 1993, by author Cândido Mendes
.
Arte plumária dos índios Kaapo – 1957
A política indigenista brasileira – 1962
Os índios e a civilização – 1970
Uira sai, à procura de Deus – 1974
Configurações histórico-culturais dos povos americanos – 1975
Suma etnológica brasileira – 1986 (colaboração; três volumes)
Diários índios – os urubus-kaapor – 1996, Companhia das Letras
O processo civilizatório – etapas da evolução sócio-cultural – 1968
As Américas e a civilização – processo de formação e causas do desenvolvimento cultural desigual dos povos americanos – 1970
O dilema da América Latina – estruturas do poder e forças insurgentes – 1978
Os brasileiros – teoria do Brasil – 1972
Os índios e a civilização – a integração das populações indígenas no Brasil moderno – 1970
The culture – historical configurations of the American peoples – 1970 (edição brasileira em 1975)
O povo brasileiro – a formação e o sentido do Brasil – 1995
Maíra – 1976
O mulo – 1981
Utopia selvagem – 1982
Migo – 1988
Kadiwéu – ensaios etnológicos sobre o saber, o azar e a beleza – 1950
Configurações histórico-culturais dos povos americanos – 1975
Sobre o óbvio - ensaios insólitos – 1979
Aos trancos e barrancos – como o Brasil deu no que deu – 1985
América Latina: a pátria grande – 1986
Testemunho – 1990
A fundação do Brasil – 1500/1700 – 1992 (colaboração)
O Brasil como problema – 1995
Noções de coisas – 1995
Plano orientador da Universidade de Brasília – 1962
A universidade necessária – 1969
Propuestas – acerca da la renovación – 1970
Université des Sciences Humaines d'Alger – 1972
La universidad peruana – 1974
UnB – invenção e descaminho – 1978
Nossa escola é uma calamidade – 1984
Universidade do terceiro milênio – plano orientador da Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense – 1993
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and politician
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
. Darcy Ribeiro's ideas of Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
n identity have influenced several later scholars of Latin American studies. As Minister of Education of Brazil he carried out profound reforms which led him to be invited to participate in university reforms in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
after leaving Brazil due to the 1964 coup d'état.
Biography
Darcy Ribeiro was the son of Reginaldo Ribeiro dos Santos and of Josefina Augusta da Silveira. He completed his primary and secondary education in the town of his birth, Montes ClarosMontes Claros
Montes Claros is a city located in northern Minas Gerais state, in Brazil. The estimated population in 2010 was 412,284 inhabitants and the total area of the municipality was 3,470 km²...
, in Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the...
, at the Grupo Escolar Gonçalves Chaves and at the Ginásio Episcopal de Montes Claros. He is best known for development work in the areas of education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
and anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
and for being, along with his friend and colleague Anísio Teixeira, one of the founders of the University of Brasília
University of Brasília
The University of Brasília , is one of the largest and most prestigious Brazilian public universities funded by the Brazilian federal government...
(Universidade de Brasília) in the early 1960s. He also served as the first rector of that university. He was the founder of the State University of Norte Fluminense
State University of Norte Fluminense
The State University of Norte Fluminense "Darcy Ribeiro" is a public university located in the city of Campos dos Goytacazes in the State of Rio de Janeiro. The University was planned by anthropologist Professor Darcy Ribeiro...
(Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense) as well. He wrote numerous books, many of them about the indigenous populations of Brazil.
During the first mandate of governor Leonel Brizola
Leonel Brizola
Leonel de Moura Brizola was a Brazilian politician. Launched in politics by Getúlio Vargas, Brizola was the only politician to serve as governor of two different states in the whole history of Brazil. In 1959 he was elected governor of Rio Grande do Sul, and in 1982 and 1990 he was elected...
in Rio de Janeiro (state)
Rio de Janeiro (state)
Rio de Janeiro is one of the 27 states of Brazil.Rio de Janeiro has the second largest economy of Brazil behind only São Paulo state.The state of Rio de Janeiro is located within the Brazilian geopolitical region classified as the Southeast...
(1983–1987), Darcy Ribeiro created, planned and directed the implementation of the Integrated Centres for Public Instruction (Centros Integrados de Ensino Público), a visionary and revolutionary pedagogical project of assistance for children, including recreational and cultural activities beyond formal instruction – making concrete the projects envisioned decades earlier by Anísio Teixeira. Long before politicians incorporated the importance of education for the development of Brazil into their discourse, Darcy Ribeiro and Leonel Brizola
Leonel Brizola
Leonel de Moura Brizola was a Brazilian politician. Launched in politics by Getúlio Vargas, Brizola was the only politician to serve as governor of two different states in the whole history of Brazil. In 1959 he was elected governor of Rio Grande do Sul, and in 1982 and 1990 he was elected...
had already developed these ideals.
In the elections of 1986, Ribeiro was the Democratic Labour Party PDT candidate for the governorship of Rio de Janeiro (state)
Rio de Janeiro (state)
Rio de Janeiro is one of the 27 states of Brazil.Rio de Janeiro has the second largest economy of Brazil behind only São Paulo state.The state of Rio de Janeiro is located within the Brazilian geopolitical region classified as the Southeast...
, running against Fernando Gabeira
Fernando Gabeira
Fernando Paulo Nagle Gabeira is a Brazilian politician, author and journalist. He has been a federal deputy for the State of Rio de Janeiro since 1995....
(at that time affiliated with the Workers’ Party PT), Agnaldo Timóteo of the Social Democratic Party (PDS) and Moreira Franco of the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB). Riberio was defeated, being unable to overcome the high approval rating of Moreira who was elected due to the popularity of the then-recent currency reform, the Cruzado Plan (Plano Cruzado). Another defeat was in 1994, when he was Brizola's running-mate in presidential election
Presidential election
A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is president.- United States :The United States has elections on the state and local levels...
; Darcy Ribeiro was also chief of staff
Chief of Staff
The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...
(Ministro-chefe da Casa Civil) in the cabinet of President João Goulart
João Goulart
João Belchior Marques Goulart was a Brazilian politician and the 24th President of Brazil until a military coup d'état deposed him on April 1, 1964. He is considered to have been the last left-wing President of the country until Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took office in 2003.-Name:João Goulart is...
, vice-governor of Rio de Janeiro (state)
Rio de Janeiro (state)
Rio de Janeiro is one of the 27 states of Brazil.Rio de Janeiro has the second largest economy of Brazil behind only São Paulo state.The state of Rio de Janeiro is located within the Brazilian geopolitical region classified as the Southeast...
from 1983 to 1987 and exercised the mandate of senator from Rio de Janeiro from 1991 until his death – which was proceeded by a long battle with cancer that emotionally touched all of Brazilian society: Darcy Ribeiro, ever the ardent and controversial defender of his ideas, received during his long illness recognition and admiration not only from friends but also from adversaries.
Ideas and theories
Darcy Ribeiro's ideas belonged to the evolutionistEvolutionism
Evolutionism refers to the biological concept of evolution, specifically to a widely held 19th century belief that organisms are intrinsically bound to increase in complexity. The belief was extended to include cultural evolution and social evolution...
school of sociology and anthropology. He believed that peoples went though a "civilizatory process" beginning as hunter-gatherer
Hunter-gatherer
A hunter-gatherer or forage society is one in which most or all food is obtained from wild plants and animals, in contrast to agricultural societies which rely mainly on domesticated species. Hunting and gathering was the ancestral subsistence mode of Homo, and all modern humans were...
s. This "civilizatory process" was according to him marked by technological revolutions, and among these he stress the eight more important as the following:
- the agricultural revolution
- the urban revolution
- the irrigation revolution
- the metallurgic revolution
- the livestock revolution
- the mercantile revolution
- the industrial revolutionIndustrial RevolutionThe Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
- the thermonuclear revolution
Ribeiro proposed also a classification scheme for Latin American countries where he identified "New Peoples" (Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, Venezuela etc.), that merged from the mix of several cultures; "Testimony Peoples" (Peru, Mexico, Ecuador, Guatemala and Bolivia), remnants of ancient civilizations; and Argentina and Uruguay, former "New Peoples" that became "Transplantated Peoples", essentially European, after massive immigration.
Brazilian Academy of Letters
Darcy Ribeiro was elected to the Brazilian Academy of Letters (Academia Brasileira de Letras) on October 8, 1992. His election was to Chair Number 11, which has as its Patron Fagundes VarelaFagundes Varela
Luís Nicolau Fagundes Varela was a Brazilian Romantic poet, adept of the "Ultra-Romanticism" movement. He is patron of the 11th chair of the Brazilian Academy of Letters.-Biography:...
. He was formally received into the Academy on April 15, 1993, by author Cândido Mendes
Cândido Mendes
Cândido Mendes is a Brazilian city and municipality in the state of Maranhão. Its population in 2004 was 19,405....
.
Selected works
Culturas e línguas indígenas do Brasil – 1957Arte plumária dos índios Kaapo – 1957
A política indigenista brasileira – 1962
Os índios e a civilização – 1970
Uira sai, à procura de Deus – 1974
Configurações histórico-culturais dos povos americanos – 1975
Suma etnológica brasileira – 1986 (colaboração; três volumes)
Diários índios – os urubus-kaapor – 1996, Companhia das Letras
O processo civilizatório – etapas da evolução sócio-cultural – 1968
As Américas e a civilização – processo de formação e causas do desenvolvimento cultural desigual dos povos americanos – 1970
O dilema da América Latina – estruturas do poder e forças insurgentes – 1978
Os brasileiros – teoria do Brasil – 1972
Os índios e a civilização – a integração das populações indígenas no Brasil moderno – 1970
The culture – historical configurations of the American peoples – 1970 (edição brasileira em 1975)
O povo brasileiro – a formação e o sentido do Brasil – 1995
Maíra – 1976
O mulo – 1981
Utopia selvagem – 1982
Migo – 1988
Kadiwéu – ensaios etnológicos sobre o saber, o azar e a beleza – 1950
Configurações histórico-culturais dos povos americanos – 1975
Sobre o óbvio - ensaios insólitos – 1979
Aos trancos e barrancos – como o Brasil deu no que deu – 1985
América Latina: a pátria grande – 1986
Testemunho – 1990
A fundação do Brasil – 1500/1700 – 1992 (colaboração)
O Brasil como problema – 1995
Noções de coisas – 1995
Plano orientador da Universidade de Brasília – 1962
A universidade necessária – 1969
Propuestas – acerca da la renovación – 1970
Université des Sciences Humaines d'Alger – 1972
La universidad peruana – 1974
UnB – invenção e descaminho – 1978
Nossa escola é uma calamidade – 1984
Universidade do terceiro milênio – plano orientador da Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense – 1993