Resumo:
This research is based on documentary sources and it aims to investigate the intellectual and
social trajectories of Martiniano Eliseu do Bomfim, a black intellectual man originated from
African Brazilian diaspora, and to ascertain his interactions with “traditional” intellectuals over
time. The main goal of this research is to comprehend how Martiniano’s work was appropriated
by these intellectuals and how he positioned himself within these interactions, analyzing the
relationship dynamics between different social actors. To achieve this goal, we chose the
ethnohistorical approach, supported by primary and secondary sources, such as depositions,
interviews, books, scientific and journalistic articles. We utilized categories such as “multiple
identities” and “agency” and took inspiration from Cultural Studies. Beyond that, we ascertain
the social and historical context in which these intellectual exchanges occurred. By the end of
this research, the complex relationships among Martiniano Eliseu do Bomfim and those
considered traditional intellectuals will be thoroughly analyzed. The historical
contextualization revealed that Martiniano lived in an era when intellectuals were influenced
and limited by a worldview determined by that era’s current paradigms. Although, as criticism
related to academic elitism rose, the relationship analysis could be reviewed from a new
perspective which valued the protagonism of actors that didn’t belong among the privileged
group, whether in a symbolic or economic way, that ruled this country’s scientific field.
Understanding Martianiano’s views demanded an analytic “appropriation” of our own,
resorting to theoretical and methodological approaches that allowed us to operationalize
concepts such as agency, rupturing with reductionisms and recognizing the existence of
multiple identities. In this sense, Martiniano can be understood as a man who faced dilemmas
and contradictions in the construction of his own identity as a black and Brazilian intellectual.
This study aims to contribute to the enlargement of the knowledge about African Brazilian and
Black Diaspora and its role in the construction of Brazilian’s intellectuality and culture.
