Paper Short Abstract:

Arthur Ramos and Rüdiger Bilden were central figures in the construction and consolidation of Afro-Brazilian studies. They were in different positions in the academic field; however, their relationship was fundamental for the constitution of Brazilian anthropology.

Paper Abstract:

Arthur Ramos (1903-1949) and Rüdiger Bilden (1893-1980) were central figures in the construction and consolidation of Afro-Brazilian studies, taking part in a collaborative network that involved several other Brazilian and American researchers, such as Gilberto Freyre (1900- 1987), Edison Carneiro (1912-1972), Melville Herskovits (1895-1963), Donald Pierson (1900-1995) and Ruth Landes (1908-1991). The two researchers were in different positions in the academic field; Arthur Ramos was a professor of anthropology in Brazil, while Bilden encountered many difficulties in obtaining a permanent position in the United States; however, he was close to some of the main names in anthropology, such as Franz Boas (1858-1942). Despite the asymmetry, they developed an important partnership decisive for the debate on Afro-Brazilian studies between the 1930s and 1940s and the constituition of Brazilian anthropology. In this work, I am interested in reconstituting the networks of relationships established between Ramos and Bilden, using the correspondence exchanged between them as a source, available at the Arthur Ramos Archive at the National Library (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). From this reconstitution, it is possible to understand, on the one hand, the power relations and alliances that were being established in the field of Afro-Brazilian studies, on the other hand, the self-representation that these agents were producing about themselves.