Carlos Vergara's 1970s Photographs of Rio Carnival Bloco Cacique de Ramos Analyzed in Academic Article

An academic article published on November 5, 2018, examines a photographic series by Brazilian artist Carlos Vergara. Created between 1972 and 1975, the images document the Rio de Janeiro-based carnival group Cacique de Ramos, known for its black-and-white costumes that evoke indigenous Amerindian dress. The analysis situates the work within Brazil's military dictatorship period, when pressures for a unified national identity were intense. The article, written by Irene V. Small, argues that Vergara's photographs explore possibilities for group identification through horizontal, non-hierarchical structures. This visual investigation is presented as a speculative model of intersubjective connection, distinct from contemporary theories of "the multitude." The piece references Brazilian anthropologist Eduardo Viveiros de Castro's concept of a "passion of the same," suggesting how opposition between self and other might transform into a transversal operation of difference, equality, and sameness. The photographs probe desires for collective affiliation during a repressive political era. The content is available through MIT Press under a subscription-only access model.