A coragem da verdade de Ailton Krenak no discurso de posse na Academia Brasileira de Letras

Abstract

In this paper, the main goal is to analyze the speech addressed by Ailton Krenak at the ceremony installing him as the first Indigenous person to be a member of the Brazilian Literature Academy (BLA). Based on Michel Foucault’s archeogenealogic method (2005, 2008, 2009, 2014, 2013, 2019), this study investigates how Krenak’s speech is marked into the BLA discourse order, which is historically characterized by an elitist and Eurocentric structure. In addition, the courage of truth as it occurs is discussed, problematizing the limits of Indigenous inclusion in the academic and literature field. We can highlight, as the results of our analysis, that Krenak’s speech presents an emotional charge that mobilizes a collective memory and reassures the struggle undertaken by Indigenous people for visibility and recognition. As it faces exclusion mechanisms, the speech provides a diverse and plural view according to which feelings and reason meet as a driving force of the courage of truth.