THE REPRESENTATION OF COLONIAL DISCOURSE IN BARROS FERREIRA’S *O ROMANCE DA MADEIRA-MAMORÉ* AND ITS CONTEXTUALIZATION WITHIN AMAZONIAN HISTORIOGRAPHY

Abstract

This study analyzes *O Romance da Madeira-Mamoré* by Barros Ferreira (1963), focusing on the colonial discourse present in the narrative and its relevance to Amazonian historiography. Employing a post-colonial approach grounded in the work of Albert Memmi, Homi Bhabha, and Enrique Dussel, we investigate how the author portrays power dynamics, the idealization of modernity, and the interaction between colonizers and local populations during the construction of the Madeira-Mamoré Railway (EFMM). We complement the literary analysis with historical data and the recollections of workers involved in the railway's construction, highlighting the exploitation and hardships they endured. This work contributes to an understanding of literary representations of colonial experiences in the Amazon, underscoring literature as a tool for resistance and the reconstruction of identity in the face of hegemonic discourses.