Pedra do Sal: reflections on authenticity at a site of memory in Rio De Janeiro

What is it about?

Pedra do Sal, in Rio de Janeiro, is a contested site of memory that generates representations of authenticity and cultural consumption. Once marked by the trauma of enslavement, it evolved into a symbol of Afro-Brazilian resistance and, more recently, into a contemporary space of cultural celebration, tourism, and identity affirmation. Authenticity operates both as a mechanism of cultural resistance and as a market asset that subaltern communities mobilize against state-led gentrification in Rio de Janeiro's Port Zone. By extending Nora's concept of lieux de mémoire to a Latin American postcolonial urban context, this paper contributes to historical research in marketing by showing how memory, authenticity, and the commodification of heritage intersect at an Afro-Brazilian site of memory.

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Photo by Alessio Rinella on Unsplash

Photo by Alessio Rinella on Unsplash