ABSTRACT
In this essay I propose a hypothesis for the construction of the image of Portuguese people in Brazil. In Brazilian common sense, the stereotypical image of Portuguese people as unintelligent is spread throughout the country, and is the source of jokes and unflattering references to the population that was once our colonizers. I seek here a possible interpretation for the emergence of these collective representations without seeking to provide an answer that exhausts all possibilities, however.
Keywords:
Portuguese migration to Brazil; stereotypes; class conflicts; labor market; prejudice