Since 1824, Bahians have marked independence with a popular festival that contrasts sharply with the official commemoration of Brazil's independence on 7 September. The Dois de Julho (2 July) festival celebrates the day the Portuguese troops were expelled from Salvador in 1823, the culmination of a year-long war that gave independence a radical meaning in Bahia. Bahia's Independence traces the history of the Dois de Julho festival in Salvador, the Brazilian state's capital, from 1824 to 1900. Hendrik Kraay discusses how the festival draws on elements of saints' processions, carnivals, and civic ritual in the use of such distinctive features as the indigenist symbols of independence called the caboclos and the massive procession into the city that re-enacts the patriots' victorious entry in 1823. Providing a social history of celebration, Kraay explains how Bahians of all classes, from slaves to members of the elite, placed their stamp on the festivities and claimed recognition and citizenship through participation. Analyzing debates published in newspapers – about appropriate forms of commemoration and the nature of Bahia's relationship to Brazil – as well as theatrical and poetic representations of the festival, this volume unravels how Dois de Julho celebrations became so integral to Bahia's self-representation and to its politics. The first history of this unique festival's origins, Bahia's Independence reveals how enthusiastic celebrations allowed an active and engaged citizenry to express their identity as both Bahians and Brazilians and to seek to create the nation they desired.

Hendrik Kraay is an associate professor of history and political science at the University of Calgary. He received his PhD from the University of Texas in 1995 and held a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of British Columbia. He is the author of Race, State, and Armed Forces in Independence-Era Brazil: Bahia, 1790s-1840s (Stanford University Press, 2001) and has edited several other scholarly volumes.

Hendrik Kraay's profile page

"Bahia's Independence is a significant research endeavour. Kraay, a careful and thorough scholar, reveals deep insights about the Brazilian empire in this work." Judy Bieber, University of New Mexico

"Bahia's Independence is a rich study by a leading scholar, and an excellent example of the blend of cultural and political history that has become an important trend in recent years." Andrew J. Kirkendall, Texas A&M University

"Kraay's research throughout the book is fine-grain and detailed, and he has dedicated 20 years to uncovering all available sources for this study in archives and especially newspapers. The book's larger arguments are engaging and important, and this meticulous work should interest scholars of nineteenth-century popular politics across Brazil and Latin America." Hispanic American Historical Review

“Bahia’s Independence is a monumental contribution. It is a tour de force of Bahian history, Brazilian history, and Latin American History.” Luzo-Brazilian Review