Corpos negros no cinema de Glauber Rocha

imagens de resistência e insurgência no enfrentamento à necropolítica

Abstract

José Elenito Teixeira Morais’s thesis — “Corpos negros no cinema de Glauber Rocha” —  investigates the representation of black bodies in Glauber Rocha’s cinema, with emphasis on Barravento (1962) and A Idade da Terra (1980). The central problem aimed to uncover how Glauber articulates a critical visual discourse, elevating these bodies from objects of exclusion to symbols of strength and cultural resistance at the core of the country’s socioeconomic contradictions. The research is based on Achille Mbembe’s theory of necropolitics, demonstrating how Glauber exposes the historical subjugation of black bodies to state and economic control, and how he reconfigures them as insurgent subjects. A crucial finding is the thematic and aesthetic evolution in Glauber’s work. Whereas in Barravento blackness was seen as a challenge to oppression, in A Idade da Terra the discussion expands to a universal dimension against imperialism. An “exegetical turn” is observed, where the sacred — initially criticized as the “opium of the masses” — is incorporated as a pillar of the revolution. The study contributes by filling a gap in the criticism regarding the representation of blackness in A Idade da Terra. It highlights the importance of deepening the discussion on theoretical decolonization, seeking a more authentic and autonomous perspective in the representation of black bodies.