Brazil Is Not (Perceived as) a Serious Country: Exposing Gaps between the External Images and the International Ambitions of the Nation

Abstract


 
 
 This paper analyses international perceptions about Brazil and shows that there is a gap between the images of the nation to the rest of the world and the country’s historic aspirations to be a relevant player in global affairs. By discussing these perceptions, this article brings the study of nation branding closer to the debate of international relations constructivist theories, arguing that images do matter. It analyses secondary data about Brazil from ten different brand surveys, then discusses what it means to be a “serious country” and how that is related to foreign perceptions about the nation. The idea of Brazil as one the "coolest" nations in the world could be considered positive in terms of nation branding, but it may be in contrast with the historic foreign policy agenda of an ambitious nation that tries to project itself as an emerging power in international politics. Being “cool” is often associated with being a nation of parties and fun, which reinforces the frequent description that Brazil “is not a serious country”.
 
 

A country on the fence: United Kingdom’s perceptions of the status and international agenda of Brazil

“…The data collected in these semi-structured interviews was transcribed, anonymised and analysed using NVivo software, as well as reflexive thematic analysis as a method. Thematic analysis (TA) is one of the most common approaches to qualitative data analysis (Bryman 2012). Since the early 2000s, the method has been further developed, and its process has become more attached to a qualitative and reflexive approach.…”

“…As Mares and Trinkunas (2016) observe on their analysis of the international ambitions of Brazil, the country has often fallen short of acquiring more status. At the same time, international surveys point to the idea that Brazil is perceived by the general public in the rest of the world as a country that is not serious (Buarque 2019). These aspects of the image of the country as focusing on stereotypes of exoticism and on leisure are also reinforced by studies of the reputation of the country in tourism and in international cinema (Bignami 2002;Amancio 2000).…”

“…Duque (2018) and Beaumont and Røren (2020) have applied analysis of diplomatic representation as a means of assessing this status. Other analyses have focused on the perceived image of Brazil among the general public of other nations, such as nation branding surveys, which show that the rest of the world does not see it as a "serious country" (Buarque 2019). Studies have assessed the projection of stereotypes of the country on the international media (Buarque 2015), on international cinema (Amancio 2000) and the general image of tourism (Bignami 2002;Kajihara 2010;Buarque 2017).…”

Soft power and media power: western foreign correspondents and the making of Brazil’s image overseas

“…Although Brazil never developed a fully coordinated nation branding strategy, until the mid-2010s there was a general consensus among local and foreign observers that the country enjoyed a positive image overseas, due to its political stability, steady economic growth, reduction of poverty, as well as successful bids to host the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics (Buarque, 2019;Chatin, 2016). The subsequent political and economic crisis that led in 2018 to the election of right-wing populist Jair Bolsonaro led some to argue that Brazil's image had been damaged and its soft power waned (e.g.…”

Ascensão E Queda Da Imagem De Um Brasil Ambientalmente Responsável: Uma Análise À Luz Do Arcabouço Da Diplomacia Publica

“…A situação do Brasil era em grande medida resultado do que havia feito anteriormente no contexto precedente. Por exemplo, iniciativas tais quais a candidatura para sediar a Copa do Mundo de futebol masculino em 2014 e os jogos Olímpicos de 2016 foram bem-sucedidas em projetar uma imagem global do Brasil, apesar de não inteiramente a que se desejava(BUARQUE, 2015(BUARQUE, , 2019. Ambientalmente, o país consolidou, em especial através da atuação em conferências multilaterais, uma narrativa em torno da imagem de um país ambientalmente responsável.…”