The acronym BRIC was created by an American investment bank. However, it has gained a momentum of its own that culminated in the creation of a real association among those countries. In this paper, I analyze the process by which Brazil discovered that it was a “BRIC” country and how that idea unfolded into an important institutional factor in its global self-image (re)building. In order to do that, I first present the historical context of Brazil since the end of military rule in the mid-80’s; then I analyze media, business and government documents, interviews by important political and economic actors, and manifestations by civil society at large, showing how the incorporation of the “BRIC” narrative into the Brazilian collective mind helped the country’s actors to overcome some historical self-deprecating stereotypes but also how it has helped (1) to unleash a huge expectation about Brazil’s future as a “Global Power” and (2) to determine Brazil’s stance in two international “crisis”, involving Honduras and Iran. I then present three major research findings: (1) narratives from abroad can determine or help to determine major institutional transformations even in a stable society; (2) the process of narrative incorporation into a country’s daily life, at all levels of its society can be dangerously unopposed, in spite of determining important international geopolitical positioning and finally (3) such narrative can lock the country in a position that may reveal itself in the future to have a less interesting side. Implications for future research are also presented.
