The lecture, "Soccer, Race, and the Roots of a Rivalry: Argentina and Brazil, 1919-1929" was given by Jeffrey Richey, a Latin American Studies Pre-Doctoral Fellow, in Maginnes Hall on Tuesday, Nov. 8.
Presented by the Latin American Studies Program and the History Department, the presentation focused on the historical background of the soccer rivalry between Argentina and Brazil and its emphasis on the role of racial ideology and racism between the two countries.
“This was presented in part because I have a fellowship here in Latin American studies and part of the reason I'm here is to help students gain a grasp of issues in Latin American culture like race, racism and discrimination,” Richey said.
"The relationship between soccer and Latin America is well known and it’s also a fun topic," Richey said. "I'm hoping to get students interested in those sorts of nature of topics and for them to explore Latin America."
Richey began the lecture with his personal reasons for having studied the topic in depth since college. He continued with the background of the rivalry between Argentina and Brazil and showed a political cartoon from the Argentine tabloid Critica. This cartoon accompanied a racially charged article against the players of African American descent on the Brazilian soccer team.
Richey explained that soccer is a very prominent part of Argentinian and Brazilian culture. His lecture discussed that during the early 20th century, politicians wanted to make soccer an extension of international diplomacy. Soccer players from England, Argentina or Brazil who went on tours in other countries were transformed into ambassadors while away. Sports and soccer, in Latin America especially, were effective ways for countries to get to know each other, he said.
Richey continued the lecture with reasons why racial ideology in Latin America is an extremely complicated matter. He explained that the majority of the population of Latin America is of mixed race and indigenous people. However, he wanted the audience to know that this doesn’t mean race does not exist in Latin America, but that it simply takes on more subtle forms.
The lecture concluded with the repercussions of the political cartoon and article, and the consequences the artist and writer faced. He went into depth on how it affected the rivalry between Argentina and Brazil and the future of their soccer relationship.
The lecture had an equally mixed audience of faculty and students in attendance.
“What I hope [students] gain from this is the power of sports in channeling nationalism and national identity,” Richey said. “As well as the deep links that aren't just of the current day, but go well back into the early twentieth century between sports, race and racism.”
Story by Brown and White news writer Kristina Park, '13.