Brazilianist (also Brasilianist, Brasilianista or Brazilianista) typically is a non-Brazilian scholar, usually but not exclusively from North America, who specializes in studying, researching, teaching and publishing about Brazilian history, geography, culture, politics and/or language(s).
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There is great diversity of interests amongst Brazilianists. Some have concentrated on the Brazilian colonial period, for example. Many have been deeply intrigued by the Getúlio Vargas dictatorship period. Professor Frederick C. Luebke wrote Germans in Brazil: A Comparative History of Cultural Conflict During World War I (1987).
Origins and use of the term
The term "Brazilianist" supposedly originated in Brazil in the 1960s or perhaps a little earlier and was coined to designate scholars from the United States who were receiving grants to study Brazil at the time when the U.S. had special political interests in that country. However, that is a view perhaps a little too narrow as to the motivating factors which led these many social scientists to do research on Brazilian issues.
In the 1970s and well into the 1980s when the US-Brazilian relations cooled off the Brazilian press gave much attention to Brazilianists themselves but not much was discussed about their arguments and findings. At that time the term Brazilianist more frequently had something of a pejorative tone.
In more recent years there has been a greater acknowledgment of the body of works produced by the Brazilianist scholars. Starting in the 1990s the works of Brazilianist began to be actively introduced in the curricula of major Brazilian universities.
As we entered the new millennium some Brazilian scholars are utilizing the term in a more broad fashion by naming a Brazilianist any non-Brazilian social scientist studying Brazil. However, the more traditional meaning of the term prevails as of 2004. Therefore, it shouldn’t be surprising that not all Brazilianists embrace the title cheerfully. Today some of the works produced by Brazilianists are known well beyond the academic circles in Brazil.
The fact is that French, German, and other scholars doing the same type of research still are recognized by their academic discipline for the most part, such as anthropologist, instead of Brazilianist. This very is problematic to some.
Dictionaries have been reluctant to adopt the term Brazilianist both in the United States and in Brazil. Meanwhile, if the term is practically unknown to most North Americans, many in Brazil are quite familiar with its general meaning.
Brazilianist is also the title of a Canadian online magazine. Its mission is to present Brazil to the international community; to promote a better understanding of this exciting country, uncovering the most interesting and resonant stories and news about business, technology, people and ideas that are transforming Brazil; to talk about current issues and to present the perspectives of people who understand Brazil in-depth: "Brasileiros" and "Brazilianists". The Brazilianist Online is indeed a publication for everyone who is interested in knowing more about the Brazil of today and keeping abreast of the Brazil of tomorrow.
List of notable Brazilianists
The following is a partial list of people who have studied Brazil in a multi-disciplinary fashion and can be considered Brazilianists.