The Black Body in Donald Pierson’s Thesis “Negroes in Brazil”

Abstract

This article aims to present the way the black body is approached in Donald Pierson’s (1900-1995) doctoral thesis. The question to be investigated is: how does one of the first studies on racial issues carried out in Brazil treat the black body? The theoretical framework was defined by authors from the social sciences. The thesis was considered as a historical document. A content analysis was made based on the following codes: the work’s physical structure, notes on the second and the first introductions, and approaches about the body. The results suggest that the black body did not properly qualify as an object of study, but it reveals an element that identifies both biological aspects and the movement of black bodies. It is concluded that resuming the investigation initiated by Pierson about blacks in Bahia is relevant because it allows the understanding of black body markers in the Brazilian context.