Brazil (Brasil)
The Brazilian flag says a lot about the country. Designed in 1889, the flag contains the phrase "ORDEM E PROGRESSO" which translated means Order and Progress. The roots of the country come from an empirical and military dictatorship (order) and the country has longed to use its vast resources to become a part of the greater global scene (progress).
Brazil declared its independence from Portugal on September 7, 1822.
Brazil: The Facts
Europeans first discovered Brazil in the early 16th century when ships from Portugal arrived on the central coast north of Rio de Janeiro. But the country's history began thousands of years earlier. Occupying half of South America's land mass, Brazil is the giant of the continent – both in size and in population. Brazil's history is filled with economic turmoil, veering from boom to bust, and its culture is a melting pot that has traditionally welcomed the world. Brazil is the fifth-largest country in the world by land area. Brazilians are generally descended from three ethnic groups: Amerindians, Africans and Europeans (US News 2019).
Portuguese is the native language of Brazil. With a population of 214 million people, Brazil ranks sixth on the list of countries by population (Worldometers 2021).
Brazil was the last country in the world to abolish slavery in 1888. The large number of slaves that were brought from Africa greatly influences the overall culture in Brazil.
Brazilian Culture
Shin and Hecht describe four layers of "identity" (Shin, Y. and Hecht, M. 2018). My experience, having lived in Brazil for 1.5 years, is that while there is not a single communal identity amongst Brazilians, they are definitely a communal people - described by Shin and Hecht as "the collective identity created and shared by a group of people in the community. The layer of communal identity is based on the social and cultural agreement about “who we are” in society" (Shin, Y. and Hecht, M. 2018).
Brazilians are proud to be Brazilians! I recall in in 1980 when Iranians were burning American flags, one Brazilian commented to me that if that were to be done to a Brazilian flag, there would be war!
Brazilian culture is also evident in the colorful clothes they wear and their love of Brazilian samba music. Microcultures are evident in Brazil along geographic lines ("I'm a Carioca from Rio de Janeiro or I'm a Paulista from Sao Paulo) and along socio-economic lines (a great divide between rich and poor). These microcultures can generate a sense of pride, as well as a sense of conflict. This was described by Young Yun Kim as she wrote "The current literature shows a clear link between the level of an individual’s identity inclusivity/exclusivity and identity security/insecurity and the likelihood of positive and negative intercultural communication experiences. That is, the more strongly and rigidly our identities are tied to our cultural ingroups and the more defensive and protective we are of our ingroup identities, the more dissociation and conflict we are likely to experience vis-à-vis culturally dissimilar others" (Kim Y. 2018).
Brazil: Globalization and the Economic Divide
An enormous challenge for Brazil is the inequality between the rich and the poor. According to Oxfam, the country's richest 5 percent have the same income as the remaining 95 percent (Oxfam 2021). Beautiful, beach-front mansions are minutes away from the Brazilian favelas, or shanty-towns, where families live in small, one-room shelters often made from materials they were able to gather and use.
One distinct effect of globalization has been that the world has been exposed to the poverty of Brazil. Prior to the turn of the 21st century, the world's view of Brazil was beautiful beaches, the Amazon rain forrest and soccer. Now, there is no hiding the tens of millions of Brazilians who live below the poverty line.
Brazil was very conservative when it came to global trade. For decades, computer hardware and automobiles had to be manufactured in Brazil or face huge tariffs and import taxes. While this stifled economic growth, because of its natural resources Brazil continued to grow. The largest growth for Brazil came between 2003 and 2011, when the company experienced >15% y/y GDP growth in seven of those years. In 2020, the country’s diverse and open economy has developed flourishing trade relationships with more than 100 different countries (Global PEO 2020). Brazil's GDP now ranks 8th in the world, up from 13th in 2002 (CIA 2021).
Brazilian Leadership Styles
In an article published by World Business Culture, business leadership in Brazil is
centered around a hierarchal structure. The article states that "the respect which is afforded the manager by subordinates, is directly proportionate to the personality of the boss. Relationships are of key importance in this Latin culture and the boss and subordinates work hard to foster a relationship based on trust and respect for personal dignity.
First and foremost, managers are expected to manage. The boss is expected to give direct instructions and it is expected that these instructions will be carried out without too much discussion or debate. If there is debate it should be done in private to avoid showing public disrespect to the hierarchy (World Business Culture 2021).
Styles become evident in meetings. Punctuality is non-existent. If there are agendas, they are rarely followed. As meetings conclude, lingering small talk is the norm as relationships are built.
One fascinating fact that does not seem to be replicated in Brazil's male-dominated executive business culture is that Brazil elected its first female president, Dilma Vana Rousseff, in 2011. This demonstrates even more of a progressive movement considering that Brazilian women couldn't vote until 1933 and that Brazil was ruled by a military government until 1985.
Soccer, Carnival, Samba and Abracos
BRAZIAN CULTURE
Gabrial Layes wrote, "The development of a self-concept, and with it a sense of identity, always involves distancing oneself and one’s in-group from strangers and unfamiliar groups" (Layes. G. 2010). This distancing, most prevalently from other South American countries is evident in Brazilian culture. Perhaps, its distinctive roots are found in the fact that it is the only South American country where Spanish is not the native language. Yet, common attributes are unavoidable. While certainly found in other countries, here are four items that are distinctively identifiable with Brazil!
SOCCER - Brazilians love their soccer (futebol)! Brazil has won a record five world cups. The game is universal for Brazilians because all that is needed is a ball -- no shoes, no pads, no field. So from the richest kid to the poorest kid, anyone can play.
CARNIVAL - Carnival is a celebration that lasts for days and is celebrated all over the country. Businesses shut down. Celebrations differ a bit by region, but Rio de Janeiro's celebration is the most popular, drawing crowds of 500,000 foreigners annually from across the globe. While all Brazilians love Carnival, the black communities are its most avid participants. This likely stems from the community's historical love of Carnival, as African slaves were freed annually for the festival's duration (How Stuff Works 2021)
SAMBA - Perhaps one of the most popular music and dance styles ever to emerge from Brazil, samba evolved in Rio de Janeiro by the early 20th century and grew to become the quintessential music and dance form associated with Rio's carnival. With its rich and syncopated rhythm and its often voluptuous dance moves, samba has circled the globe as one of the most infectious and popular styles from the South American continent.
The word "samba" is thought to be derived from the Kimbundu (Angolan) term semba, which referred to an "invitation to dance" as well as a common appellation for the dance parties held by slaves and former slaves in the rural areas of Rio (sambassadors 2021).
ABRACOS - Brazilians are a physically affectionate people. An abraco is a forceful hug (often including back slaps) given to friends, family and even new acquaintances. Consider the polite cheek-to-cheek kisses given by the French. An abraco has similar meaning, but displays the open, victorious culture that is prevalent in Brazil.
References
Shin, Y. and Hecht, M. (2018). Communication Theory of Identity, In The International Encyclopedia of Intercultural Communication. Medford, MA: Wiley Blackwell.
Layes. G. (2010).1.7 Intercultural Identity Management. In Thomas, A., Kinast, E., and Schroll-Machl (Eds.,) Handbook of intercultural communication and cooperation. Oakville, CT: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. (pp. 102-109 )
Kim Y. (2018). Identity and Intercultural Communication: In The International Encyclopedia of Intercultural Communication. Medford, MA: Wiley Blackwell.
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2019-08-20/10-interesting-facts-about-brazil
https://globalpeoservices.com/top-15-countries-by-gdp-in-2020/
Central Intelligence Agency. "Brazil." Accessed Jan. 18, 2021.
https://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/national-traditions/brazilian-tradition4.htm
http://www.sambassadorsofgroove.org.uk/history-of-samba.html
https://www.worldbusinessculture.com/country-profiles/brazil/business-management-style/