Colonialism In Paro Vaz De Caminha's Carta

In like manner, within Pêro Vaz de Caminha’s Carta the writing makes a clear statement of the writer’s apparent feelings of cultural shock. Moreover, the written description of the Portuguese’s discovery of Brazil, expresses the disorientation of the Portuguese when they encountered peoples and culture extremely different from that of their own. Fundamentally, this letter is a description, to the king of Portugal, on the ways in which native culture and lifestyle works. Actually, in the letter written by Pêro Vaz de Caminha, he describes both attributes of what makes up culture, material and non-material culture. First, being the material culture which consists of the physical creations developed– such as clothing, food, and shelter – by …show more content…
The concept of cultural imperialism originated from ethnocentric ideologies that evidently standardized their own 'superior' culture so that all other groups in society must assimilate. As interactions with the culture foreign to their own commenced, and then unjust evaluations and rationalities shaped the way for cultural imperialism to be inflicted on inferior groups of people. Like all forms of culture, the main two attributes are labeled as the material and non-material culture. Where material culture is comprised of physical creations whereas non-material refers to abstract human creations such as beliefs and values. Through careful examination of the following sources: “A Carta de Pêro Vaz de Caminha”, Padre Vieira’s “Sermões” and in Oswald de Andrade “Pêro Vaz de Caminha””Erro de Português” clear examples of cultural imperialism originate within them. Consequently, the Europeans imposed their own material culture through their customs with food, drinks, and livestock. Similarly, the way in which the Europeans presumed they were superior to other groups in society, meant that they often interacted with the other's culture, in order to learn more about the new land. In order to later exploit for the advantage concerning profit and wealth of the European nation. Much like material culture, the non-material culture was inflicted on inferior groups of people in societies within these texts. Being that religion shaped the values, beliefs, and norms of ‘superior’ society, often examples of cultural imperialism were shaped by religious ideologies and principles. In this case, Caminha demonstrated how the Portuguese impose their religion on the ‘inferior’ native while Padre Vieira justified on the basis on religion that apparent ‘inferior’ groups will be later compensated by God.