User:JWesleyPowell/Evaluate an Article

Which article are you evaluating?
History of the Catholic Church in Brazil

Why you have chosen this article to evaluate?
I chose this article, as I was drawn in by some reading concerning the MST (Brazilian Landless Workers Movement). It is a contemporary social movement in Brazil concerned with returning land ownership to farmers in Brazil, many of whom were removed from the land during a period of privatisation and modernisation within the 20th century.

They are a political and social force influenced by Liberation Theology and exclusive to Brazil, and I believe they should have some mention within the page concerning their relation to religion and theology. Particularly as the article traces the trend up till the present day.

Evaluate the article
Lead

The lead serves well to stay concise, although I would argue almost too concise and perhaps a mention to the variety of denominations within Brazil would be appreciated. Additionally, there is no citation for the number regarding population size, or other general facts about the country. While they are large and vague, a citation would still be appreciated.

Content and Tone

Immediately following this is a paragraph of content that does not establish a date of arrival of first missionaries or clergy, which may be useful as a point of interest for readers. Additionally, the wording in this first section is lacking as the grammar makes reading hard, and confusing at times. Quotes are not integrated, and there is no explanation of where or why they have been included. I am sure they could be useful, if appropriate context was established, as well as identifying the author in the main content rather than the citation.

There are many facts here that are used without citation, and additionally large or grand statements that have no examples to back them up. Again while I am sure the sentiment is correct, the presentation and wording detract from the usefulness of the article. This is particularly apparent in the colonial period section with regards to the Jesuits.

== The success of the Jesuits in converting the indigenous peoples to Catholicism is linked to their capacity to understand the native culture, especially the language. The first grammar of the Tupi language was compiled by José de Anchieta and printed in Coimbra in 1595 ==

Who is arguing this? Which historians interpretation is this? There are no citations, and no suggestions of alternative points of view. Also wording, see is/was (past or present tense?)

To that end, the organisation of the article is very well defined by time periods that are clear and well titled. The exception to this is that the present day section of the article is incredibly sparse. This section may benefit from citing more contemporary publications such as news outlets or statements issued by authorities.

Some archival images may also have been useful to include. Also, there is a very absent presence of a talk page bar mention of a suspected trolling.

Overall

Overall, this article is a good starting place and has solid foundations however has issues with bias, sources, and citations. I do not believe this is intentional, although requires improvement if it is to be considered anything above a C ranking.