Tonto in Toronto • Blogs

Journalist/writer Laurentino Gomes will be at Brazilian Studies Seminar to talk about the best non-fiction Brazilian in 2008 “1808: how a mad queen, a fearful prince and a corrupt court deceived Napoleon and changed the History of Portugal andBrazil forever” . 1808 is a festive exposition of the Portuguese Royal Family.

BSS press release

Discovered by the Portuguese in 1500, Brazil was truly invented as a country only in 1808, the year the Portuguese royal family arrived at Rio de Janeiro running away from the troops of French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte.        Until then, Brazil not yet existed.

At least, not as it is today: an integrated country, of continental dimensions, borders and culture well defined, and inhabitants who identify themselves as Brazilians. Up to 1807, it was only one great farm, from where Portugal took off primary products, such as sugar, timber and tobacco, as well as gold and diamonds. That is, one extrativist colony, without any notion of national identity.

The coming of the prince regent D. João’s royal court would radically transform this scenario. In only thirteen years, between the arrival, in 1808, and the departure, in 1821, of the Portuguese court, Brazil would change from an isolated, forbidden and ignorant colony to an independent nation. None other period of Brazilian history would witness so deep and decisive changes – in so little time. The result was the Independence, in 1822.

The preservation of the territorial integrity was the great achievement of D. João. Without the arrival of the Portuguese court, the Brazilian regional conflicts would have gone deep, to such a point that the separation between the provinces would be almost inevitable. Brazil would not be this continental country of today, but a territory divided in different nations. Thanks to D. João, Brazil was kept as the country of continental dimensions of today.

This was also an event without precedents in the history of the humanity. Never before had one European court crossed an ocean to live and run an empire in the other side of the world. D. João was the only European sovereign to set the feet in American lands in four centuries of domination.

About Laurentino Gomes:

Journalist with a MBA degree at Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Laurentino Gomes, 53, is the author of 1808: how a mad queen, a fearful prince and a corrupt court deceived Napoleon and changed the History of Portugal and Brazil forever, the last year’s best selling non-fiction book in Portuguese language and winner of the Jabuti literary prize. With over 400 000 copies sold in Brazil and Portugal, the book describes the Portuguese royal family move to Brazil two hundred years ago, fleeing the Napoleon’s army invasion of Portugal. Prior to writing this book, Laurentino worked 28 years as an editor for the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo and VEJA, the leading newsweekly magazine in Brazil. He lives in São Paulo with his wife and four children. For more details please read here

Location of the seminar:

Room 280 York Lanes

4700 Keele St.

Canada M3J 1P3

Toronto ON

Canada

time: 12:30 to 2:30pm

Contact

Coordinator Brigitte Grossmann Cairus

brazilst@yorku.ca

Construction worker waiting for his ride to work

If you want to know what the word integration mean to some immigrants you should watch the latest Panzine.

We just finished putting the subtitles and it’s a very interesting issue that involves Canadians, immigrants, politicians.

Shaolan, (Xiaolan) a very well known Chinese medicine doctor who immigrate  to Toronto in 1988, Tufy and Brigitte, two researchers that moved to Toronto in 2002 because of their researches, and decided to immigrate to Canada. Brigitte works and researches for York University and she’s a co-ordinator for Brazilian Studies Seminar.  Tufy researches about Brazil-Latin America a very well know explosive martial art – jujitsu.

A very interesting conversation with three bright minds brings you an idea about what’s like to change from you home country to a new world. It’s a complex subject and we know about it, but sometimes the simplistic way of showing it, the human side, sometimes can give you the best information.

Construction worker waiting for his ride to work

If you want to know what the word integration mean to some immigrants you should watch the latest Panzine.

We just finished putting the subtitles and it’s a very interesting issue that involves Canadians, immigrants, politicians.

Shaolan, (Xiaolan) a very well known Chinese medicine doctor who immigrate  to Toronto in 1988, Tufy and Brigitte, two researchers that moved to Toronto in 2002 because of their researches, and decided to immigrate to Canada. Brigitte works and researches for York University and she’s a co-ordinator for Brazilian Studies Seminar.  Tufy researches about Brazil-Latin America a very well know explosive martial art – jujitsu.

A very interesting conversation with three bright minds brings you an idea about what’s like to change from you home country to a new world. It’s a complex subject and we know about it, but sometimes the simplistic way of showing it, the human side, sometimes can give you the best information.[lang_pt]

Construction worker waiting for his ride to work

Se você quer saber mais sobre o significado  da palavra integração para alguns imigrantes você deveria assistir a mais recente edição do Panzine.

Nós acabamos de finalizá-la, colocando as devidas legendas e é um assunto interessante envolvendo candenses, imigrantes, políticos.

Shaolan, (Xiaolan) uma doutora em medicina chinesa muita conhecida em Toronto que imigrou para cá em1988, Tufy and Brigitte, dois pesquisadores que mudaram para  Toronto in 2002 por causa de seus respectivos trabalhos e decidiram imigrar de vez. Brigitte trabalha pesquisando para a York University e também é coordenadora do Brazilian Studies Seminar.  Tufy pesquisa sobre Brasil e América Latina uma arte marcial explosiva – o jujitsu.

Uma conversa muito interessante com três mentes brilhantes trazem a você uma idéia sobre como é mudar de sua pátria-mãe para um novo mundo. É uma matéria complexa e nós sabemos disso, mas asimplicidade às vezes de mostrá-la, o lado humano, pode lhe dar a melhor informação.[/lang_pt]

I met Brigitte Cairus one of the events related to the Project Betinho of Toronto. It was exactly the party to raise funds for this institution, while he was still preparing to make some pictures for public appreciation. She told me part of the study of Roma in Brazil, I work today, especially on a large concentration living in Campinas, Sao Paulo, where he lived most of my life. I found fantastic. Also she put a pair of Brazilian Studies Seminar at York University, which holds seminars for three years showing the friendly and informal work carried out in York, or something I imagined, but now always get the information group, which is to disseminate the work of several groups of studies North America, featuring the Brazilian culture through the eyes of the academy and its researchers, teachers and doctors. Brigitte attended last week’s ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN Professor INGLÉS Y ESPAÑOL CHAPTER OF CANADA (AATSP) , held at York University, where he presented and discussed “no. It is opposition.: The work of Brazilian artists Rodrigo Matheus and Carla Zaccagnini in AGYU and the role of the Brazilian Studies Seminar , associated with CERLAC “and she spoke about the importance of this work for the Brazilians, principally for those living in North America and especially in Toronto.

Brigitte comments on the importance of BSS and CERLAC here brigittecairus1. brigittecairus2 [/ lang_pt]

Brigitte Cairus do BSS na York University

Conheci Brigitte Cairus num dos eventos relacionados ao Projeto Betinho de Toronto. Foi exatamente na festa para arrecadar fundos para esta instituição, quando estava ainda preparando algumas fotos para disponibilizar para apreciação pública. Ela me falou parcialmente sobre o estudo dos ciganos no Brasil, eu trabalho atual, especialmente sobre uma grande concentração que vive em Campinas-SP, onde morei a maior parte de minha vida. Achei fantástico. Além disso ela me colocou a par dos Brazilian Studies Seminar na York University, que há três anos realiza seminários amigáveis e informais apresentando os trabalhos realizados na York, algo que eu nem imaginava, mas agora recebo sempre os informativos  do grupo, que tem como missão difundir os diversos trabalhos realizados por grupos de estudos da América do Norte, apresentando a cultura brasileira pelos olhos da academia e seus pesquisadores, professores e doutores. Brigitte participou na semana passada da CONFERENCIA ANUAL DE LA ASOCIACIÓN AMERICANA DE PROFESORES DE ESPAÑOL Y PORTUGUÉS CAPÍTULO CANADÁ (AATSP), realizada na York University, onde apresentou e discutiu “no. it is opposition.: o trabalho de artistas brasileiros Carla Zaccagnini and Rodrigo Matheus no AGYU e o papel do Brazilian Studies Seminar, associado ao CERLAC ” e ela falou sobre a importância deste trabalho para os brasileiros, principamente para aqueles que vivem na América do Norte e principalmente em Toronto.

Brigitte comenta a importância do BSS e o CERLAC aqui brigittecairus1. brigittecairus2