In this presentation, Prof. Sanchez will provide an overview of the career of the Brazilian singer, actor, and entertainer Carmen Miranda (1909-1955). The talk will discuss Miranda’s stardom in Brazil as a popular voice on the radio and her participation in musical films of the 1930s, her discovery in
Broadway, and her Hollywood years with the Twentieth-Century Fox studio. The analysis will focus on
her image as a representation of a stereotypical Latina star, her engagement with race and the Afro-Brazilian community, and the camp sensitivity of her star persona. Participants will be encouraged to think about her image at the intersection of Latin Americanness, race, gender-bending, and camp. The talk will include segments of her most popular songs, clips from her films, footage of some of the most iconic imitations of Carmen Miranda, along with publicity materials for her performances in plays and films.