Overview

This virtually unknown, insightful account by a highly intelligent, observant and forthright Frenchwoman of her decade-long stay in Brazil during the 1850s provides a remarkable firsthand view of a slaveocrat society. In an effort to improve their family's fortune, enterprising and highspirited young Parisian AdFle Toussaint-Samson traveled with her husband from France to Brazil in the mid 1800s. While there, she wrote of her experiences, painting a vivid and detailed portrait of the reality of slavery, gender relations, and daily life in mid-nineteenth century Brazil. This eminently readable primary document provides a firsthand view of a slaveholding society, describing both men and women, slave and free, rich and poor. Well written and lively, A Parisian in Brazil is an excellent resource for courses on Latin America, women in Latin America, and Brazilian history.

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9780842028554

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Reviews

Nineteenth-century Brazil and 'the imperial gaze' are both restored to life in this provoking, occasionally troubling, but always engaging memoir. A Parisian in Brazil is a vivid reminder that the past is indeed another country; and the Brazilian past, so powerfully shaped by the violence and oppression of slavery, perhaps more than most. Recommended--George Reid Andrews

A Parisian in Brazil is a delightful analysis of life in mid-nineteenth-century Rio de Janeiro through the eyes of Ad le Toussaint-Samson, a young Parisian with a sharp eye for detail and the insightfulness of a seasoned anthropologist. Highly recommended for class use in courses in Brazilian and Latin American Studies as well as those on race relations.--Robert M. Levine

Author Information

June E. Hahner is professor of history at the State University of New York at Albany.

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