Publications
Black African migrant women in the state of Rio de Janeiro: From diaspora to resistance, from social hope to the rewriting of their territory (19th–21st centuries)
Black African migrant women in Rio de Janeiro have been pivotal in transforming spaces of trauma into territories of identity and plural futures through resistance, spirituality, cuisine, art, and community organization. This long-term analysis (19th–21st centuries) reveals that their agency, rooted in diasporic experiences and social hope, challenges structural violence while reshaping cultural landscapes. The study examines four key axes: 1) the recreation of transethnic identities in the 19th century; 2) the political re-signification of Valongo Wharf; 3) strategies of resistance within the Cabinda diaspora; and 4) the protagonism of these women, from historic 'Bahian aunts' to contemporary entrepreneurs. Anchored in decolonial feminism and Freire's pedagogy, the research positions these women as epistemic subjects whose actions rewrite their territories, offering a model for reclaiming narratives and spaces.
Urban Slavery
Archaeological research reveals the often-invisible presence of enslaved individuals in urban settings, highlighting their significant role in economies and societies across Pompeii, Brazil, Charleston, and New Orleans. The study identifies key locations—such as Valongo Wharf in Rio de Janeiro and St. Peter Street cemetery in New Orleans—where material evidence of slavery is preserved. By analyzing documents like fugitive slave advertisements, property records, and funerary artifacts, the research reconstructs the lived experiences and shared cultural practices of enslaved communities. The findings underscore the importance of commemoration efforts in fostering remembrance and healing.
Anthropological Approaches to Unfinished Migrations: Arenas of Memory as a Site of Social Metamorphosis in the Atlantic Era
Historic sites of memory, including Valongo Wharf and other transatlantic slave trade ports, serve as dynamic arenas for social metamorphosis within the African Diaspora. This study reveals how contemporary engagements with these sites facilitate cultural and historical reconstruction, emphasizing the role of loss in shaping diasporic identities. By analyzing processes of voluntary, involuntary, and forced migrations, the research highlights key moments of transformation rather than measuring success, offering a nuanced understanding of Afro-descendant communities' navigation through complex narratives of past and present.
Caminhos e descaminhos do patrimônio arqueológico do Cais do Valongo (Rio de Janeiro)
Valongo Wharf, recognized as the most significant physical evidence of enslaved Africans' arrival in the Americas by UNESCO, faces critical challenges in preservation and public recognition despite its 2017 World Heritage designation. Research reveals that coordination gaps between government levels, insufficient funding, and policy implementation delays hinder the site's potential as a memory site for African diaspora history. The absence of an interpretation center further limits educational opportunities on slavery and contemporary race issues. This analysis, based on judicial and administrative proceedings, underscores the need for stronger governance to fully realize Valongo Wharf's heritage value.
Nada além de contas
A striking contrast emerges between the glass beads found with African captives buried at Rio de Janeiro’s Pretos Novos cemetery and those recovered from the Valongo Wharf. The analysis of 223 beads revealed an overwhelming prevalence of low-value, small, simple, and white beads—likely reflecting the extreme deprivation endured by newly arrived captives. This finding challenges earlier typologies associated with established enslaved communities in Rio de Janeiro. The study employed quantitative and qualitative methods to establish a standard for these artifacts, offering new insights into the material culture of African captives during the transatlantic slave trade.
O texto literário como espaço de memória em O crime do cais do Valongo, de Eliana Alves Cruz
Eliana Alves Cruz's novel O Crime do Cais do Valongo (2018) serves as a powerful tool for reclaiming and resignifying African ancestry in Brazil, challenging historical erasure of black people. The narrative merges fiction with history at the UNESCO-listed Valongo Wharf, offering a memorialist exercise that highlights the struggles and existence of black women, particularly through the lens of intersectionality—race and gender—central to Cruz's work. This literary approach provides evidence of the enduring impact of African heritage in Brazil while contributing to ongoing debates on memory and representation.
Shaping Plural Identities After Gross Human Rights Violations: The Role of Transitional Justice and Sites of Memory
International legal mechanisms and sites of memory can effectively transform societal identities post-gross human rights violations, fostering inclusivity and alterity over fear. This study demonstrates that integrating transitional justice—such as international trials and institutionalized memory sites—into legal and cultural frameworks prevents historical erasure while recognizing victims' dignity. The Valongo Wharf case illustrates how symbolic and legal acknowledgment of atrocities promotes reconciliation, offering a blueprint for just and inclusive futures. The research employs interdisciplinary analysis from legal studies, historiography, and international relations to highlight the potential of memory work in mitigating violence's legacy.
Valongo Wharf
Valongo Wharf, a UNESCO World Heritage site tied to the transatlantic slave trade, serves as a contested space for public memory. While it celebrates African heritage and cultural expressions, its memorialization process risks domesticating Black culture within dominant ideologies, overlooking its potential to address racism in contemporary Brazil. The study analyzes how local, national, and international actors—including Black movements, intellectuals, and officials—shape the site's narrative, highlighting power dynamics that influence who controls access to resources and narratives. Federal neglect in developing an interpretation center further limits public understanding of the site’s significance. This research underscores the need for equitable recognition of racial histories to prevent the recurrence of racism.
Valongo Wharf and Gadsden’s Wharf: A Comparative Approach to Two Sites of Memory of Atlantic Slavery (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Charleston, South Carolina)
Valongo Wharf in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Gadsden’s Wharf in Charleston, South Carolina, serve as pivotal sites of memory for the Atlantic slave trade, revealing how past atrocities shape contemporary racism. A comparative analysis shows that both wharves, part of UNESCO's 'Routes of Enslaved Peoples' project, are contested spaces where narratives of slavery and its legacies are constructed through the influences of Black movements, scholars, and public authorities. The study highlights the tension between privileged and silenced memories, demonstrating how these sites reflect ambiguities in remembering slavery while reinforcing its enduring impact on society.
Memorial agency, heritage dissonance, and the politics of memory in the preservation of Rio de Janeiro’s Valongo slave wharf
Heritage dissonance, where contested histories challenge official narratives, can drive public debate and societal change. This study reveals how the preservation of Rio de Janeiro’s Valongo slave wharf—uncovered during urban transformations for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics—exposed a long-suppressed legacy of slavery. By analyzing memorialization efforts, resistance tactics, and power struggles among stakeholders, the research demonstrates that heritage dissonance fosters reconciliation by disrupting collective amnesia and empowering marginalized voices. The findings highlight its potential as a tool for conflict mediation, reshaping historical narratives and promoting dialogue.
Quilombo Portness / Quilombismo Portuário
Rio de Janeiro's portside areas, particularly the Valongo Wharf Archaeological Site, challenge conventional narratives of racial capitalism and indentured labor by serving as a dynamic site of Afro-Brazilian memorialization. This study introduces 'portness'—a concept that integrates porosity and quilombismo—to analyze the wharf's historical significance as a hub for culture, death, life, and resistance. Unlike privatized urban renewal efforts since 2011, the Valongo Wharf stands as a testament to Afro-Brazilian resilience, offering a critical lens to understand grassroots developments in global port areas. The research juxtaposes these processes through historical sources, revealing the wharf's enduring role in shaping Rio's bayside identity and its broader implications for urban memory.
Some Thoughts on the Human Valuing of Amber, Past and Present
Recent archaeological findings from the Valongo Wharf site in Rio de Janeiro and an historic cemetery in New York reveal significant insights into the human valuation of amber, spanning millennia. These discoveries highlight amber's role in artisanal practices, trade, and cultural exchange, particularly within African and diasporic communities. The study integrates sourcing, manufacture, usage, and display methods, offering a nuanced understanding of how amber has been cherished and shared across different societies. By analyzing these elements, the research sheds light on the enduring significance of amber in both private and public contexts, from Neolithic times to the present.
Valongo, the Place of the Ancestors: Spiritual Practices among Enslaved Africans in Nineteenth-century Rio de Janeiro
Archaeological research at Valongo Wharf, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Rio de Janeiro, has uncovered vestiges of spiritual practices among enslaved Africans who passed through the port during the 19th-century transatlantic slave trade. These findings, analyzed through a decolonial lens, challenge dominant narratives by centering the voices and experiences of subaltern populations, offering new insights into the resilience and cultural continuity of enslaved Africans despite the brutalities of colonialism. The study employs critical Latin American thought to reinterpret material remains, revealing the wharf's significance not only as a site of suffering but also as a place of memory where ancestral spiritual practices endured.
A epopeia dos golfinhos do Cais do Valongo
Research reveals that the Valongo Wharf, excavated in 2011, was not constructed to welcome Empress Teresa Cristina but rather as a response to local demand for a new Cais and Praça do Valongo. The study traces the history of two bronze dolphin sculptures through their creation, installation, and subsequent displacement using Object Biography methodology. By analyzing archives, periodicals, and images, the authors uncover the symbolic significance of these sculptures, rooted in Antiquity, and provide an unprecedented contribution by identifying their current location. This challenges the narrative that the wharf was solely built for the Empress's arrival.
Descolonizando o conhecimento: O Cais do Valongo como lugar de memória da escravidão no Brasil e estratégia de Reparação
Investing in memory sites of slavery, such as Valongo Wharf in Rio de Janeiro, serves as a strategy for decolonizing knowledge and providing reparation for the historical injustices faced by the Black population. This study demonstrates that these sites not only increase visibility of African and Afro-Brazilian history but also offer new perspectives on knowledge, celebrating the resilience and struggle of Africans and their descendants in the diaspora. The research employed a thematic bibliographic review on slavery memory in Brazil alongside an analysis of inventory data related to the Atlantic Slave Trade, focusing specifically on Valongo Wharf's significance within 'Little Africa' as a key site for memory and reparative justice.
Lugar de Memória, Lugar de Consciência: O Cais do Valongo e o debate sobre a escravidão no espaço público
The Valongo Wharf Archaeological Site has emerged as a significant 'site of memory' and 'site of consciousness,' offering profound reflections on slavery's legacy. Since its excavation in 2011, the site has sparked ongoing debates about slavery in public spaces, emphasizing its role in historical awareness. The study analyzes the site's candidacy for UNESCO World Heritage status, focusing on three objectives that aim to enhance its visibility and understanding. These objectives are evaluated based on their development since the site's discovery, highlighting the wharf's importance as a reference point for confronting sensitive pasts. The research employs a critical approach, drawing from PhD-level investigations to explore problematic issues arising from the site's historical significance.
Sobre Topofilia e o Cais do Valongo: Significados e Sentidos desse Espaço a partir da perspectiva Humanística da Geografia
Valongo Wharf emerges as a pivotal site for Afro-Brazilian memory and identity, with its subjective perception by individuals fostering a sense of belonging, historical memory, and collective cultural identity. This study highlights the wharf's role in preserving sensitive memory and combating racism while advancing rights, positioning it as a critical resource within the Archaeological Historical Circuit for African Heritage celebration. Employing a humanistic-phenomenological approach, the research interviews participants to uncover diverse perspectives on this space, emphasizing its significance in cultural and social contexts.
Trajectories of Empire: Transhispanic Reflections on the African Diaspora
A comprehensive analysis of the African diaspora's cultural trajectories from the 15th century to the present, focusing on Valongo Wharf Archaeological Site. The study reveals how early enslavement narratives, colonial-era art and literature, and contemporary activism in Cuba and Brazil reflect complex dynamics of identity, resistance, and representation. By examining chronicles, confraternity documents, visual arts, poetry, and medical records, the research offers nuanced insights into the African diaspora's historical and cultural evolution across five centuries. It highlights the intersection of race, power, and creativity, from early modern Afro-Iberian martial arts to Afro-Brazilian rap lyrics and protest performances.
Street Capoeira and the Memorialization of Slavery in Rio de Janeiro
Street capoeira performances, particularly those organized by the 'Rio Street Roda Connection' (2012–2016), serve as a powerful form of re-enactment and memorialization of slavery in Rio de Janeiro. These performances, often held at historically significant sites like Valongo Wharf, challenge urban gentrification while reclaiming and honoring the legacy of enslaved Africans. The study reveals that capoeira's return to public spaces is not only a cultural practice but also a means of resisting erasure, particularly during periods of rapid urban transformation. However, disputes over identity, ownership, and territorial control within the capoeira community contributed to the dissolution of the Connection, highlighting tensions in preserving both tradition and innovation.
Sensitive memories at a World Heritage Site
A study reveals that individual narratives about the Valongo Wharf Archaeological Site, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, expose decolonial perspectives and forms of resistance against structural racism. The research analyzes how the heritagization process shapes life stories, highlighting the emergence of identifications with black collectivities and the silencing of discriminatory practices rooted in coloniality. By examining the constructed narrative of value for Valongo Wharf's inclusion on the UNESCO list and its relation to the nearby New African Cemetery, the study adopted a listening approach to uncover complex pasts and changing attitudes. This work underscores the significance of personal narratives in displacing centralities and illuminating structural inequalities.
Circuitos espaciais produtivos, círculos de cooperação e patrimônio cultural contemporâneo: uma proposta metodológica
A high degree of internationalization characterizes the production of heritage assets such as the Museum of Tomorrow and Valongo Wharf Archaeological Site, distancing them from their local context to align with global city circuits and the globalized cultural industry. This study proposes that these processes, driven by urban modernization projects like Porto Maravilha in Rio de Janeiro, can be critically analyzed using concepts of spatial productive circuits and cooperation circles. These tools offer a framework for integrating territorial planning policies while proposing 'territory used' as an analytical category with critical-propositional potential. The research highlights the tension between local significance and global culturalization, contributing to debates on heritage production in contemporary urban contexts.
Heritage Sites: How Afro-Brazilian and Indigenous Communities Leverage Archaeology and Architecture to Protect Their Histories and Challenge the Hegemonic Heritage Discourse
During the construction for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, the Valongo Wharf Archaeological Site reemerged as a significant historical landmark, representing the main port of entry for enslaved Africans in the Americas. This study highlights how Afro-Brazilian and Indigenous communities are leveraging archaeology and architecture to protect their histories and challenge dominant heritage narratives. The research focuses on the resurfacing of the Valongo Wharf in 2011 and the state government's attempt to demolish the Museu do Índio, a site crucial for discussing and promoting Brazilian Indigenous cultures. By analyzing these events, the study underscores the communities' agency in preserving their heritage against hegemonic discourses, offering insights into the intersection of archaeology, architecture, and cultural resistance.
Urban Reforms, Cultural Goods and the Valongo Wharf Circle: Understanding Intervention in Rio de Janeiro's Port Area
A groundbreaking approach using capoeira as both a tool for engagement and analysis revealed the complex, enduring legacies of Rio de Janeiro’s Valongo Wharf, particularly its role in racial discrimination and urban redevelopment cycles. The study demonstrates how this cultural practice can disrupt everyday dynamics in the port area, offering new insights into the selective valorization of cultural goods and their impact on urban history. By analyzing 'products' from the 2012–2016 Valongo Wharf Circle project, researchers uncovered the contingencies and transformations that reshape our understanding of Rio’s port heritage.
Valongo
Valongo Wharf serves as a powerful symbol of Brazil's complex relationship with its history of slavery and racial inequality. The site, which has been the focus of archaeological and sociopolitical action, reveals uncomfortable truths about the subjugation of Black people by Whites that persist in collective memory. This study highlights the challenges and limitations faced by White archaeologists in investigating such sensitive sites, emphasizing the need for Afro-descendants to take a more active role in the recovery and interpretation of their own past. By examining Valongo Wharf's significance, the research sheds light on contemporary issues of racial recognition, social justice, and the ongoing struggle for fundamental rights for Brazil's Black population.
The City as Power: Urban Space, Place, and National Identity ed. by Alexander C. Diener and Joshua Hagen
Urban landscapes serve as powerful arenas for contesting national identity, citizenship, and belonging, acting as 'cultural geologies' that layer and erase narratives over time. This edited volume explores how cities like Berlin, Budapest, and Ulaanbaatar become contested spaces where memory, ideology, and countermovements shape inclusion and exclusion. Through case studies—including the preservation of Valongo Wharf in Rio de Janeiro—a palimpsest-like approach reveals how urban space delineates insiders from outsiders, while globalized ethnic and national identities mobilize citizenship ideals. The work integrates postcolonial perspectives, spatial analysis, and social movements to demonstrate urban environments' pivotal role in modern identity politics.
História, Patrimíâ?Nio e Memória SensáVel: o Cais do Valongo no Rio de Janeiro
Valongo Wharf, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017, stands as a pivotal archaeological and historical site that sheds light on the transatlantic slave trade and its profound impact on African descendants in Brazil. The study underscores Valongo Wharf's significance as a 'sensitive memory' site, encapsulating the violence, suffering, and resistance associated with slavery while offering comparative insights into global human tragedies. Through historical analysis, the research explores how this site serves as both a testament to the atrocities of the past and a symbol of Black resistance and cultural affirmation in Rio de Janeiro.
Weaving the Second Skin: Protection Against Evil Among the Valongo Slaves in Nineteenth-century Rio de Janeiro
Archaeological evidence from the Valongo Wharf in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, reveals that enslaved Africans used protective artifacts—combined with scarifications and tattoos—to create a 'second skin.' This material culture, rich in iconography, served as both resistance against oppression and a strategy for negotiating less disadvantageous positions in their harsh lives. The study highlights the slaves' beliefs, coping mechanisms, and social dimensions through discarded or hidden objects, offering insight into their despair and hopes during the 19th century.
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