Naturalism Against Nature: Kinship and Degeneracy in Fin-de-siècle Portugal and Brazil

'On one such occasion, he stopped in front of the mirror and looked at himself very carefully, trying to discover on his discoloured face anything, any sign that would denounce the black race. He observed himself well, separating his hair at the the roots, stretching the skin on his cheeks, examining his nostrils and teeth; finally he flung the mirror onto the dresser, consumed by an immense and fathomless dissatisfaction.'

An age of freak shows, sexual pathologies and scientific racism, the...