Brazilian indigenous peoples and the debate on authenticity and cultural change

Abstract

Debate on indigenous identity and modernization has been widespread since the 1990s. The increased use of modern means of communication by the Brazilian indigenous peoples and their active participation in society have introduced a new dynamic to this debate and brought it to the fore once again. The debate has also been stoked by the reactions of Brazil’s non-indigenous society to the cultural transformations undergone by the country’s various indigenous communities. The juxtaposition of traditional culture and modernization often generates processes of cultural resistance, in this case on the part of the dominant society, which continues to cultivate an old-fashioned image of the Indian. This article attempts to analyze the causes of resistance to cultural changes generated by the active participation of indigenous peoples in today’s information society and the debate on cultural change, authenticity, and cultural identity.