Alterity in brazilian discourse: perceptions about the desire of the other foreigner

Abstract

Portraying a key role in the (re)construction of identity, alterity is molded through the subject's conception of others and themselves. Those conceptions precede the subject, which can be recovered from a discursive framework of social heritage. They are not established peacefully, giving that recognizing difference means recognizing the otherness in oneself, the abyss that resides in all of us: the unconscious that embraces what we are and do not recognize, and that also embraces what we desire, desire that encourages seeking and generates discomfort in a conflictual relationship. Thus, the subject will project the perception of otherness to the image of others, separating it from themselves and classifying them as foreigners. Through these basic concepts, we emphasize the alterity relationship between Brazilians and the other, the foreigner, recognizing its volatile characteristic: in one hand, Brazilians tend to rely on common sense when it comes to their receptiveness, encouraged by their desire that bring them closer to foreigners; on the other hand, it is possible to observe rejection fostered by some discomfort of the desiring subject facing the foreign image. From these concepts, this project aims to conduct interviews with Brazilian subjects to analyze their discourse using the discursive-deconstructivist analysis, which intertwines Michel Foucault's discourse perspective, Jacques Derrida's deconstructive proposition, and Freudian-Lacanian psychoanalysis. The project aims to understand how the desire towards the other foreigner manifests itself throughout contemporary Brazilian discourse, affirming perceptions of oneself and the other, and whether the manifestation of desire can change and mold itself through discourse depending on which foreigner Brazilians relate themselves to.