WHICH IMAGE? OF WHICH COUNTRY? UNDER WHICH SPOTLIGHT? POWER, VISIBILITY, AND THE IMAGE OF BRAZIL

Abstract

Abstract: From the beginning of the 21st century until the protests that preceded the 2014 World Cup, a common idea raised by academics, journalists, and commentators interested in Brazil was the alleged “rise” or “emergence” of the country as a global power in the international arena. A significant feature of these discussions is how positive or not the image that Brazil manages to project to the world is. In most cases, it is argued that Brazil needs to construct and project such images to successfully entice tourists, attract investment, and increase exports, as well as to consolidate its global political aspirations. This article will contribute to the debate about Brazil’s supposed need to design and manage a particular image. More specifically, it examines some of the assumptions underpinning the alleged need to create public images; the type of nation constructed and projected; as well as the characteristics of the foreign gaze that presumably observes Brazil. The examination of these issues is relevant in highlighting some overlooked structural inequalities and asymmetric power relations involved in the construction and projection of the national image.