“Nobody Wants to Be a May 13 ^th ”: Abolition, Race and National Identity in the Tales of Astolfo Marques (1903-1907)

ABSTRACT

This article discusses the relationship between race, nationality and Abolition in the short stories of black intellectual Astolfo Marques (1876-1918) written to celebrate the end of Brazilian slavery on May 13 ^th, 1888. The investigation of these short stories, published in Maranhão in the first decade of the the 20^th century, allows us to analyze the forms of social integration of blacks in modern Brazilian society through narratives constructed by black intellectuals after the Abolition in Brazil.

KEYWORDS:
race; national identity; Brazilian abolition; black intellectuals; literature.