Title: Sketching the Non-Hero of the Brazilian Nation: Tension between Nationalism and Non-nationalism in Macunaíma

Abstract: As a central figure in 20th-century Brazilian modernism, Mário de Andrade uses his literary works to explore the cultural tensions inherent in Brazil’s modernization. In Macunaíma, he draws on foreign mythological figures recorded by German anthropologist Theodor Koch-Grünberg to create an unconventional national hero marked by contradictions. By giving the hero a “non-national” character, Mário challenges the romanticization and symbolic appropriation of indigenous culture found in traditional nationalist allegories. At the same time, he subverts the dominant narrative frameworks through Macunaíma’s magical journey. The novel’s inclusive perspective places European high culture and marginalized local folklore on an equal footing, reflecting a pluralistic vision of Brazilian identity. Through this ever-shifting literary figure, Mário de Andrade articulates the fluid and heterogeneous nature of national identity, pointing toward new cultural possibilities for Brazil’s future.

Keywords: nationalism, Brazil, Macunaíma, Mário de Andrade, Theodor Koch-Grünberg

Author: Xiaorui Chu, Ph.D. Candidate, Spanish and Portuguese Department, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, United States of America.

DOI: 10.19967/j.cnki.flc.2025.02.002