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Paper short abstract

The american anthropologist Ruth Landes (1908-1991) conducted a field research between 1938 and 1939 in the city of Salvador (Brazil). I analyze in this paper the transit, and the formation of networks that allowed her displacement to Brazil, and the reception of her work in both countries.

Paper long abstract

The american anthropologist Ruth Landes (1908-1991) held a Ph.D. from Columbia University, and was a professor at Fisk University before conducting field research between 1938 and 1939 in the city of Salvador (Brazil), originating the book "The City of Women "which was originally published in 1947 in the United States and in 1967 in Brazil. I analyze in this paper the transit, and the formation of networks that allowed the displacement of Landes to Brazil, as well as the reception of her work in both countries. Tthe results of Landes's research were profoundly criticized, generating a intense controversy in the field of Afro-Brazilian studies, and I questioned if the criticisms received were not only related to the ideas expressed, but also to the relations between gender and academic hierarchies. Therefore, in addition to revisiting "The City of Women", I analyze other works produced in that period and letters exchanged between intellectuals who got involved in this discussion.