Madness in Brazilian Culture
In this course we will examine the extent to which madness may constitute a counter-hegemonic discourse in Brazilian culture. If, as objects made by asylum patient Arthur Bispo do Rosário seem to suggest, language is breaking up, how can we understand it? To answer this question, we will initially focus on the pioneer work of psychiatrist Nise da Silveira and then venture into the interconnections between madness and trauma as well as madness and waste. One cannot apparently speak what must be said; and in the second, the physical world (bodies and objects) is on the limits of rejection. Works studied in this course may include Foucault’s seminal text on madness, selections from Gramsci’s prison notebooks, a novel by Conceição Evaristo, and a film by Marcos Prado, among others. (PGSE 0353 or equivalent) 3hrs. lect./disc.