Abstract

Indians, especially those who came from what was then understood as mestiçagem or miscegenation with whites and blacks, became a key factor in the theoretical framework of physician and anthropologist Raimundo Nina Rodrigues. Typically, his intellectual heritage is linked to the “African-Bahian” population, given his detailed studies on urban ethnology. This article seeks to explore among his proposals the role of “Brasílio-Guarany” and its perceived harmful impact on the country’s development from a scientistic perspective. Nina Rodrigues engaged in a dialogue regarding Brazil’s Indians from the country’s Northern region (especially Pará and Amazonas) with two prominent nineteenth-century authors: José Veríssimo and Couto de Magalhães. We argue that the result of this clash of ideas is a striking example of how the Maranhão-born doctor underwent a shift in his position regarding scientific racism, from which he distances himself (but does not entirely abandon), incorporating elements of social evolutionism and creating a unique interpretation of the social and biological relations among the so-called three races shaping the nation.

indians; race; Nina Rodrigues; José Veríssimo; Couto de Magalhães