This panel aims to dismantle prejudice, prompt critical reflections, and offer nuanced insights into the complexities of disability and (in)visibility.The rationale behind organizing this session lies in the imperative need to address and understand the intersection of disability and visibility within the Lusophone world. Despite the growing discourse on representation and social equity, there remains a lack of comprehensive analysis specifically focused on Portuguese-speaking cultures. With this session, LLC Luso-Brazilian seeks to fill this gap by delving into literature, cinema, and the arts, providing a platform to examine how disability is depicted, perceived, and challenged within these cultural contexts. The panel will be a 4-person panel, which means presenters will keep their presentations to a maximum of 13-14 minutes. MLA sessions are 1h15m and the last 15 minutes will be reserved for discussion. This discussion period will offer attendees an opportunity to engage with the presenters, share insights, and further delve into the complexities of disability and visibility within the Lusophone world.
Each presentation within this session contributes uniquely to the overarching theme. Nuno Brito’s presentation “For a more complete vision of the human: a reading of “The blind fisherman” by Mia Couto” delves into the representation of visual impairment and its implications for family dynamics in Mozambican literature, particularly examining Mia Couto's narrative strategy in "The blind fisherman", a short story from the anthology Every man is a race (1990). By scrutinizing how the absence of physical vision intensifies the protagonist's internal experiences and reshapes familial roles, this study aims to dismantle prejudice and prompt critical reflections on societal norms. Through a comparative analysis with other fictional and essayistic texts by the same author, it seeks to elucidate how visual impairment serves as a conduit for broader societal critiques.
The session will also feature an exploration of the cinematic representation of Black overweight women in contemporary Brazilian cinema, in a presentation by Letícia Barbosa. Barbosa will have a specific focus on André Oliveira's film Temporada (2020) within the context of the New Black Cinema movement. Drawing on Freitas and Cohen's analysis, this study examines how Oliveira challenges essentialization and promotes innovative aesthetic strategies to construct visibility for “Black fat bodies.” It situates Oliveira's cinematic choices within scholarly frameworks, highlighting the film's transformative potential in challenging prevailing racist and fatphobic representations. Moreover, the presentation underscores the governmental support for independent filmmakers as crucial for fostering inclusive narratives and contributing to ongoing discourses on representation and social equity.
Next, Dylan Blau Edelstein will delve into the complexities surrounding patient art and privacy in the context of the exhibit “Brésil: arts primitifs et modernes” (1955-1956) at the Ethnography Museum of Neuchâtel in Switzerland. By analyzing the tension between the art world's emphasis on authorship and psychiatric institutions' prioritization of privacy, this study interrogates the implications of anonymity for artists who were patients at Nise da Silveira’s Occupational Therapy clinic in Rio de Janeiro. Through a critical examination of the the psychiatric hospital’s privacy policy, it probes how efforts to shield artists from the stigma of madness inadvertently contribute to their erasure within the art world's narratives.
The last presentation, by Tania Martuscelli, will discuss Fernando Lemos (1926-2019) surrealist art contextualizing it within the artist's personal experiences of disability and cultural influences. By tracing Lemos' engagement with reality and his unique artistic conceptualization, this study aims to unravel the intricate layers of his creative production. Grounded in Lemos' own statements and a comprehensive analysis of his work, tis study seeks to illuminate the profound significance of his art as a construction of bodily experiences, particularly in dialogue with surrealist themes.
"Disability and Visibility in the Lusophone World" presents a compelling opportunity to examine the diverse representations and challenges faced by individuals with disabilities across literature, cinema, and the arts. By offering a platform for critical analysis and dialogue, this session aims to foster a deeper understanding of the complexities surrounding disability and visibility within Portuguese-speaking cultures. The selection of panelists incorporates a diversity of voices, bringing forth domestic and international senior and junior scholars, tenured professor and graduate students.