As representações interseccionais de Madame Satã, na obra cinematográfica de Karim Ainouz, entre 1937 e 1945, no Brasil

Abstract

The marginalization of historical figures by traditional Brazilian historiography has paved the way for cinema to establish itself as a relevant source for analyzing the past, allowing for the construction of new narratives. Within this context, this study aims to analyze the intersectional representations of José Francisco dos Santos, known as ―Madame Satã,‖ regarding the construction of a Brazilian racial identity during the Estado Novo period. The research focused on the film Madame Satã (2002), directed by Karim Aïnouz, as the primary object of study, complemented by bibliographic sources. To this end, the investigation adopted a qualitative methodological approach, grounded in a survey of scientific literature in databases. The analysis was based on a theoretical framework that articulated film studies, intersectionality, theories of structural racism, and the concept of cultural circularity to investigate the character's complexity, drawing on authors such as Almeida (2018), Akotirene (2019), Chartier (1990), Ferro (1992), and Silva (2013). The investigation demonstrated that the cinematographic work functions as a counter-narrative that resignifies Madame Satã‘s trajectory, humanizing him beyond the stigmas present in official records. It was concluded that the film not only reconstructs a biography but also reveals the dynamics of racial, social, gender, and sexual exclusion in Brazil during the dictatorial era of the Getúlio Vargas government, challenging narratives of national identity and affirming the resistance of a marginalized body.