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This digital document is an article from Artforum International, published by Artforum International Magazine, Inc. on May 1, 2003. The length of the article is 2080 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Feast for the eyes: the art of Rivane Neuenschwander.(Critical Essay)
Author: Daniel Birnbaum
Publication: Artforum International (Magazine/Journal)
Date: May 1, 2003
Publisher: Artforum International Magazine, Inc.
Volume: 41Issue: 9Page: 142(5)

Article Type: Critical Essay

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Culture Smart! provides essential information on attitudes, beliefs and behaviorin different countries, ensuring that you arrive at your destination aware of basicmanners, common courtesies, and sensitive issues. These concise guides tell you whatto expect, how to behave, and how to establish a rapport with your hosts. This insideknowledge will enable you to steer clear of embarrassing gaffes and mistakes, feelconfident in unfamiliar situations, and develop trust, friendships, and successfulbusiness relationships.

Culture Smart! offers illuminating insights into the cultureand society of a particular country. It will help you to turn your visit-whetheron business or for pleasure-into a memorable and enriching experience. Contents include


* customs, values, and traditions
* historical, religious, and political background
* life at home
* leisure, social, and cultural life
* eating and drinking
* dos,don'ts, and taboos
* business practices
* communication, spoken and unspoken


"CultureSmart has come to the rescue of hapless travellers." Sunday Times Travel

"... theperfect introduction to the weird, wonderful and downright odd quirks and customsof various countries." Global Travel

"...full of fascinating-as well as common-sense-tipsto help you avoid embarrassing faux pas." Observer

"...as useful as they are entertaining."Easyjet Magazine

"...offer glimpses into the psyche of a faraway world." New YorkTimes
... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Brazil- Culture Smart: the essencial guide to customs & culture
I recommend this little book to businesspeople and all who want a concise but complete overview of Brazilian customs and culture. It is very good.
One comment: in the chapter Business Briefing, it is said that "it is better to be more formal and use titles (Senhor, Doutor, etc) accompanied by the (Brazilian's) last surname". But actually in Brazil we use the titles (Senhor, Seu, Doutor, etc)followed by their first name. Example: Doutor Jorge, Seu Antonio, etc). This is a formal way to address a person in Brazil.
One can use the title followed by the last surname (as the book suggests) only when the person is already known by their last surname (which in many cases is used almost like a nickname). Example: If the name of the person is Fernando Figueiredo but he is known as Figueiredo, so you could call him Seu Figueiredo (if you want to be formal).
Confused? My advice: Observe how other Brazilians address the person you are talking with, (but do not forget to consider the hierarchical status of all involved).

Dr. Virginia Pearson
Cross-Cultural facilitator
Ph.D. in Cross-Cultural Psychology and International Management
(...)

A little culture before you go.
Reads quickly.About an hour.Some good tips.Pretty basic.Still, better to know something about the culture than nothing.

Fascinating insights
This book is making preparation for visiting this amazing country very thorough.An easy read and filled with useful tips. ... Read more

Product Description
Exploring the cultural lives of African slaves in the early colonial Portuguese world, with an emphasis on the more than 1 million Central Africans who survived the journey to Brazil, James Sweet lifts a curtain on their lives as Africans rather than as incipient Brazilians. Focusing first on the cultures of Central Africa from which the slaves came--Ndembu, Imbangala, Kongo, and others--Sweet identifies specific cultural rites and beliefs that survived their transplantation to the African-Portuguese diaspora, arguing that they did not give way to immediate creolization in the New World but remained distinctly African for some time.

Slaves transferred many cultural practices from their homelands to Brazil, including kinship structures, divination rituals, judicial ordeals, ritual burials, dietary restrictions, and secret societies. Sweet demonstrates that the structures of many of these practices remained constant during this early period, although the meanings of the rituals were often transformed as slaves coped with their new environment and status. Religious rituals in particular became potent forms of protest against the institution of slavery and its hardships. In addition, Sweet examines how certain African beliefs and customs challenged and ultimately influenced Brazilian Catholicism.

Sweet's analysis sheds new light on African culture in Brazil's slave society while also enriching our understanding of the complex process of creolization and cultural survival. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Original, fascinating
The ubject of the slave trade has been written about before but this bookcovers the more interesting topic of the Protuguese trade in the 15th-18th century, and particularly its affects on Africans and the relationship between the church and the slaves, as well as 'others'.This book is scholarly and perhaps slightly dry, but not startinly so, in fact it is also readable and interesting, refreshing and original.

Surely this book adds scholarship to the period, espcially illuminating the relationship between slaves, brazilian society and the church in both Brazil and Portugal.Of particular interest is the work regarding the inqusitions attempts to snuff out tribal religons that remained among slaves brought to the new world.

Seth J. Frantzman ... Read more

Product Description
Doing business internationally requires understanding not only other languages, but even more so the business practices and cultures of other countries. In the case of Brazilians working with Americans, a fundamental difference for all parties to understand is that Brazilian business culture is based on developing personal relationships between business partners, while American businesspeople often prefer to get down to hard 'facts and figures' quickly, with fewer personal preliminaries. Negotiating such differences is crucial to creating successful business relationships between the two countries, and this book is designed to help businesspeople do just that."Brazilians Working With Americans" presents ten short case studies that effectively illustrate many of the cultural factors that come into play when North American business professionals work in Brazil. The authors summarize each case and the aspects of culture it involves, and American and Brazilian executives comment on the cultural differences highlighted by that case. A list of topics and questions for discussion also help draw out the lessons of each business situation.To make the book equally useful to Brazilians and Americans (whether businesspeople or language students), the entire text is presented in both English and Portuguese. In addition, "Apple QuickTime" movies of the executives' comments, which allow viewers to see and hear native speakers of both languages, are available on the Internet. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Outstanding Study of Brazilian Lyrics
Perrone's academic study of six leading Brazilian musicians and their lyrics (song texts) is a remarkable, groundbreaking effort that demonstrates the high level of lyric writing in Brazilian popular music inthe 1970s and 1980s. An essential volume for anyone interested in Brazilianmusic and it fits well with the other classic study, "The BrazilianSound" (Temple University Press), which focuses on the music. ... Read more

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"Gender is an absolute ground zero for most human societies," writes David William Foster, "an absolute horizon of social subjectivity." In this book, he examines gender issues in thirteen Brazilian films made (with one exception) after the 1985 return to constitutional democracy and elimination of censorship to show how these issues arise from and comment on the sociohistorical reality of contemporary Brazilian society. Foster organizes his study around three broad themes: construction of masculinity, constructions of feminine and feminist identities, and same-sex positionings and social power. Within his discussions of individual films ranging from Jorge um brasileiro to A hora da estrela to Beijo no asfalto, he offers new ways of understanding national ideals and stereotypes, sexual dissidence (homoeroticism and transgenderism), heroic models, U.S./Brazilian relations, revolutionary struggle, and human rights violations. As the first study of Brazilian cinematic representations of gender ideology in English or Portuguese, this book will be important reading in film and cultural studies. ... Read more

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CULTURE SMART! is the series of travel guides written for the smart traveler on the go. Each volume is a quick, accurate guide to customs and etiquette. What you'll find in CULTURE SMART!:--All the essential cultural and etiquette points covered, making you confident in a variety of situations.--You'll know what to expect in each particular culture.--You'll know how to behave in specific social and business situations.--Essential attitudes and values are clearly explained.--You'll find the concise writing style makes each topic a quick, easy read.--Each has the same look, page count, and organization for reference use.--Small and light, it tucks into your pocket or purse for on-the-go use.--Culture Smart! books are written by a staff of experts who consult on world travel as a profession. ... Read more

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Brazilian cinema is one of the most influential national cinemas in Latin America and this wide-ranging study traces the evolution of Brazilian film from the silent era to the present day, including detailed studies of more recent international box-office hits, such as Central Station (1998) and City of God (2002).

Brazilian National Cinema gives due importance to traditionally overlooked aspects of Brazilian cinema, such as popular genres, ranging from musical comedies (the chanchada) to soft-core porn films (the pornochanchada) and horror films, and also provides a fresh approach to the internationally acclaimed avant-garde Cinema Novo of the 1960s.

Lisa Shaw and Stephanie Dennison apply recent theories on stardom, particularly relating to issues of ethnicity, race and gender, to both well-known Brazilian performers, such as Carmen Miranda and Sonia Braga, and lesser known domestic icons, such as the Afro-Brazilian comic actor, Grande Otelo (Big Othello), and the uberblonde children’s TV and film star, and media mogul, Xuxa.

This timely addition to the National Cinemas series provides a comprehensive overview of the relationship between Brazilian cinema and issues of national and cultural identity.

Product Description

Sàngó in Africa and the African Diaspora is a multidisciplinary, transregional exploration of Sàngó religious traditions in West Africa and beyond. Sàngó -- the Yoruba god of thunder and lightning -- is a powerful, fearful deity who controls the forces of nature, but has not received the same attention as other Yoruba orishas. This volume considers the spread of polytheistic religious traditions from West Africa, the mythic Sàngó, the historical Sàngó, and syncretic traditions of Sàngó worship. Readers with an interest in the Yoruba and their religious cultures will find a diverse, complex, and comprehensive portrait of Sàngó worship in Africa and the African world.

Customer Reviews (2)

A very good book
In this book you find information about Sango in Africa, Cuba and Brazil.
The best part in this book is about Ara and Sango.

great book on orisa tradition
finally these compilation books are representing west african orisa tradition well...which has historically been underrepresented and misrepresented in this country. ... Read more

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Lúcia Nagib here presents the first comprehensive critical survey of Brazilian film production since the mid-1990s, which has become known as the "Renaissance of Brazilian cinema". Besides reflecting on the conditions that made possible this recent boom, this book elaborates on the new aesthetic tendencies of recent productions, as well as their relationships to earlier traditions of Brazilian cinema. Internationally acclaimed films, such as Central Station, Seven Days in September and Orpheus, are analyzed alongside daringly experimental works, such as Chronically Unfeasible, Starry Sky and Perfumed Ball.
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Customer Reviews (1)

Well done summary of Brazilian Cinema
As explained in the Introduction, Brazil has had a rocky time for the last twenty to thirty years.After almost being totally destroyed during the early 1990's, Brazilian cinema has experienced a great renaissance.This book covers the full range of this renaissance, with various essays touching on the artistic, political, religious, and socio-economic realities that characterize this movement.Gracing the cover is a still from perhaps the best-known (and best-loved) film of the era, "Central Station" (1998), a movie that is mentioned and discussed frequently in the text.For those interested in expanding their horizons, especially in terms of cinema, this book is an engaging read. ... Read more

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This unique collection of twelve essays byinternationally known scholars deals with the important but unexploredtopic of the transatlantic linkages between western Africa and Brazilduring the era of the slave trade.Brazil received more enslavedAfricans (approximately 4.5 million) than any other part of theAmericas--ten times as many as North America, and more than all of theCaribbean and North America combined.The forced shipment of millionsof Africans to the Americas, where their enslavement became the basisof intense exploitation, profoundly influenced the development of theAmerican societies that used slaves, the African societies from whichthe victims originated, and the Europpean nations centrally involvedin colonizing the Americas.Transatlantic slavery and the forces thatproduced its formal abolition in the nineteenth and twentiethcenturies were clearly vital in helping to define the identities ofboth Black and White poeple, and in shaping European colonialismand imperialism.These factors have left legacies of racism anddivision with important social consequences.

Divided into three major parts, ENSLAVING CONNECTIONS focuses first on the Portuguese-Brazilian slave trade.The second section examines the impact of western Africans on the making of colonial and postindependence Brazil.The final section explores the effects of Brazil and Afro-Brazilians on western Africa.

This important volume of cutting-edge research and analysis is a significant contribution to our understanding of the history of slavery in the Americas. ... Read more

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Beserra examines Brazilian immigration to the United States from the perspective of the relationship between the two countries as it developed through American imperialist expansion in Brazil. Drawing on ethnographic research among Brazilians in Los Angeles, she shows that direct or indirect contact with American culture develops the need to live or the dream of living in the United States.

Once in the U.S., different expectations and reasons for immigrating, class position in Brazil, and the networks to which Brazilian immigrants are connected define how they will integrate into American society.By exploring the experiences of the members of two Brazilian associations, the Portuguese-speaking Seventh-Day Adventist Church of Chino, and the Brazilian Women's Group in Los Angeles, Beserra offers important clues for understanding the various expressions of the political economy of social class, race, and ethnicity in the United States. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

The best book about Brazilian immigrants in the U.S.A.
Dr.Beserra and I are on the same page concerned to what she has experienced life here as an immigrant from Brazil.This book should be read by our current Brazilian President,Lula da Silva and Brazilians abroad as well.It gives the very true color in what life is all about here.You are not what you used to be back in Brazil.This sometimes hurts some Brazilians here .In a way,It makes Brazilians a lot stronger.This book can be easily used at a class in a university.Americans have to change their view of us as samba dancers.We are not that 24/7.Good job,Dr.Beserra.

Great info
This is not an easy read, as it is a scholarly work. Nonetheless, it has precious information for me, eventhough I am a Brazilian living in New Mexico, not LA.

Brazilians in Los Angeles
This book is an anthropological case study through participant observation of two groups of Brazilian immigrants in Los Angeles.Beserra's analysis from the perspective of American cultural imperialism is plausible, and her description of the dynamics of Brazilian social classism is quite useful. For those studying Brazilian immigrants in the US, this book lays down a basis of data and a model of qualitative study by which to compare and base other studies of Brazilians in other parts of the US.However, the study cannot be generalized to its title's broader claim of Brazilians "in the United States".Furthermore, because the two groups are limited to a Brazilian women's group and a Brazilian religious group, its generalizability to the 40,000 or so Brazilians in Los Angeles is questionable.

Brazilian Immigrants in the United States: Cultural Imperialism and Social Class
There are many good studies on Brazilian immigrants in the United States, but none better than Bernadete Beserra's. She analyzes the process of Brazilian immigrant identity negotiation within the U.S. a priori ethno-racial hierarchy. Beserra, herself a Brazilian, explains the many ways that this relatively small immigrant group from a very large country must negotiate its identity in response to the economic, political and social conditions in which they find themselves. Theses conditions, especially in the context of U.S. imperialism and advanced capitalism, are often experienced as anti-immigrant and, more specifically, anti-Brazilian, creating dilemmas for Brazilians. For example, Beserra unpacks the issue of Brazilians negotiating a Latino identity vis-à-vis other identity categories. Beserra combines in-depth interviews with Brazilians in the Los Angeles area, with participant observation, with socio-economic data of 195 people. The mixed-methodology allows the author to provide the reader with a number of important angles on the process of "Americanization," that Brazilians do or do not experience.

This book is a must read for three groups. First, this will make a compelling read for people that finds themselves searching for a book that describes quality of life issues for immigrant groups. Beserra's skillful weaving of immigrant stories into the context of U.S. American culture and class allows the reader to see pieces of the daily experiences of Brazilians. Second, for social activists that are concerned with all immigrants fights for justice, the author provides portraits of the ways by which immigrants struggle and survive. But, do not be misled. This book is first and foremost a fine scholarly work. So, the third group are scholars and academics working in a variety of disciplines with myriad interests. This group will appreciate Beserra's theoretical context, borrowing heavily from Bourdieu, and her consistency in placing the Brazilian immigrant experience in the context that she develops. That said, the three groups are not mutually exclusive in what excites them about a book. Scholars will appreciate the narrative excerpts, activists will too, and the general readership will find the theoretical context interesting and so well written as to be understandable without background in the area. If you don't claim membership in any of the three "groups" buy this book anyway. Brazilian communities in the U.S. are becoming both more numerous and larger. The chances are good that you will find yourself interacting with the growing Brazilian immigrant population. Bernadete Beserra's book will help you find and interact on common ground.

Brazilian Immigrants in the United States: why do they come?
In this nicely written book, Bernadete Beserra brings us to the world of Brazilian immigrants in the greater LA area, the reasons that attract them to the US and their strategies and networks for becoming (or not) integrated in the new country.

The book is of particular interest to those who study or are interested in the migration phenomenum and do not agree with Huntington's views about clash of civilizations or latino dangers but instead would like to better understand why people move from countries thousands of miles away, what do they aim and how can they change and help to build the new society in which they are absorbed but not always really integrated.

A good account written by someone who dealt with some of the same problems immigrants deal as she herself was an immigrant student, this book is a worthwhile experience not only for Brazilians or Americans, but to all people willing to learn about the wicked ways capitalism and globalization drive people out of their homes with promises of wealth and glory and casts them into new environments where they are usually much less than welcomed.
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This collection of essays questions the traditional academic divisions which dictate the margins and centre in the study of Portuguese. The text juxtaposes and connects readings of literary figures with readings of "popular culture". ... Read more

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