In Luiz da Camara Cascudo's laboratory:

a case study of the Brazilian Folklore Society (1941-1949)

Abstract

Brazilian newspapers, in the 20th century, were the main means of disseminating intellectual works. With Getúlio Vargas' Estado Novo (1937-1945), the press began to be persecuted and politically aligned. In this scenario, folklorists pleaded for an academic-scientific institutionalization of that knowledge and their crafts. To this end, they met and formed networks and institutions. One such case was the intellectual Luiz da Camara Cascudo (1898-1986) who, in his laboratory, founded the Brazilian Folklore Society (SBF) in 1941. Seeking visibility, diffusion of his ideas and affiliation of Brazilian and foreign intellectuals , published in the years 1941, 1942 and 1949 Statutes of its institution - sets of rules, administrative functioning and theoretical and methodological perspective to be adopted. In this sense, this article has the general objective of analyzing the Statutes of the SBF, problematizing the institutional perception of folklore, the power relations instituted and the guidelines put to members and affiliates.