lusotropicalism means the distinctive character of Portuguese imperialism, supposed to indicate that the Portuguese were better colonizers than those of other European nations. It carries an Arena rating of 1074, earned across 120 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, lusotropicalism ranks #111 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words, #1,960 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words, #3,880 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #4,724 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words.
Why “lusotropicalism” is a great word
LUSOTROPICALISM — [Noun] An ideological doctrine that presents Portuguese colonialism as uniquely beneficent, founded on an alleged special aptitude for creating harmonious racial and cultural blends in tropical territories. From Luso- (pertaining to Portugal or the Portuguese) + tropical (of the tropics) + -ism (denoting a system or theory). Coined in 1951 by the Brazilian sociologist Gilberto Freyre. Unlike the general system of "colonialism" (political and economic control) or the policy of "assimilation" (demanding cultural erasure), lusotropicalism is an ornate justification of exceptionalism. It is the sun-bleached façade of a colonial mansion, the theoretical sweetness of sugarcane masking the bitterness of its harvest, and the melancholic strum of a guitarra echoing in a tropical plaza—a nostalgic fiction that aches to refute the universal arithmetic of power.
Etymology
From Luso- + tropical + -ism, introduced by Brazilian sociologist Gilberto Freyre.
noun
- The distinctive character of Portuguese imperialism, supposed to indicate that the Portuguese were better colonizers than those of other European nations.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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