ABSTRACT
This chapter examines two flexible terms 'culture' and 'defence' that must be understood within a specific context. It proposes a dialogue between the concepts related to entities and the theorists linked to culture and defence. The examples that bind and juxtapose these concepts favour two National States: Brazil and the United States. The territorial extent of the United States and Brazil contributes to the diverse cultural identities present in both societies. As cultural identities are historically constructed, these original and extended territories enabled the gestation of a matrix of languages, religions, traditions, and customs of indigenous peoples. Both the United States and Brazil are multicultural States in whose territories cultural elements of various ethnicities were imprinted. Several factors have contributed to each country's migration dynamics: socioeconomic inequalities among countries, structural and cyclical unemployment, wars, ethnic conflicts, and other issues. The United States and Brazil also share the cultural tradition of Carnival.
