The Mystery of Samba: Popular Music and National Identity in Brazil [NOOK Book]

Be the first to write a review

Overview

Samba is Brazil's "national rhythm," the foremost symbol of its culture and nationhood. To the outsider, samba and the famous pre-Lenten carnival of which it is the centerpiece seem to showcase the country's African heritage. Within Brazil, however, samba symbolizes the racial and cultural mixture that, since the 1930s, most Brazilians have come to believe defines their unique national identity.
But how did Brazil become "the Kingdom of Samba" only a few decades after ...
See more details below
The Mystery of Samba: Popular Music and National Identity in Brazil

Available on NOOK devices and apps  
  • Nook Devices
  • NOOK HD/HD+ Tablet
  • NOOK
  • NOOK Color
  • NOOK Tablet
  • Tablet/Phone
  • NOOK for Windows 8 Tablet
  • NOOK for iOS
  • NOOK for Android
  • NOOK Kids for iPad
  • PC/Mac
  • NOOK for Windows 8
  • NOOK for PC
  • NOOK for Mac
  • NOOK Study
  • NOOK for Web

Want a NOOK? Explore Now

NOOK Book (eBook)
$15.92
BN.com price
(Save 45%)$28.95 List Price

More About This Book

Overview

Samba is Brazil's "national rhythm," the foremost symbol of its culture and nationhood. To the outsider, samba and the famous pre-Lenten carnival of which it is the centerpiece seem to showcase the country's African heritage. Within Brazil, however, samba symbolizes the racial and cultural mixture that, since the 1930s, most Brazilians have come to believe defines their unique national identity.
But how did Brazil become "the Kingdom of Samba" only a few decades after abolishing slavery in 1888? Typically, samba is represented as having changed spontaneously, mysteriously, from a "repressed" music of the marginal and impoverished to a national symbol cherished by all Brazilians. Here, however, Hermano Vianna shows that the nationalization of samba actually rested on a long history of relations between different social groups--poor and rich, weak and powerful--often working at cross-purposes to one another.
A fascinating exploration of the "invention of tradition," The Mystery of Samba is an excellent introduction to Brazil's ongoing conversation on race, popular culture, and national identity.
Read More Show Less

Editorial Reviews

Ben Ratliff
The Mystery of Samba presents a densely argued academic thesis, written for a Brazilian academic audience.... The most important point in the book is one that Vianna never simply states, but it's nevertheless the tune you're whistling when you finish: Popular music isn't only what one turn to when taking a rest from important things like writing social history. It can actually work, if sometimes indirectly, to change the world.
— Lingua Franca
Library Journal
The "mystery" of the title is samba's transformation "from infamous outcast to (virtually official) national emblem." Brazilian anthropologist Vianna here casts a dry postmodern eye on issues of cultural invention and the identification of "authentic" folk idioms for political and commercial purposes. His long essay discusses Brazilian nation building, cultural mediators, essentialist attitudes, and individual cultural theorists. Vianna concludes that establishing the "Kingdom of Samba" was a complex process, not controlled by any one segment of Brazilian society. For contrast, readers should look at Alma Guillermoprieto's passionate Samba (LJ 1/90), a poetic report from an outsider allowed to participate in the dance. Both treatments enhance understanding. For large public and academic collections.--Bonnie Jo Dopp, Univ. of Maryland Lib., College Park
From the Publisher
This very readable book provides an interpretation of an aspect of the Brazilian culture that has remained unexplored until now.

Choice

An important contribution . . . . to today's lively multidisciplinary discussion about race, nation, and popular culture.

Estudios Interdisciplinarios de America Latina y El Caribe

Hermano Vianna's new book is a valiant effort to make sense of both [Brazil's music and culture].

Lingua Franca

A wonderfully knowledgeable and thoughtful investigation of how Brazil and samba helped create each other.

Alma Guillermoprieto, author of Samba

A subtle and convincing analysis of the connection between popular culture and its manipulation by the elite.

Thomas E. Skidmore, Brown University

Read More Show Less

Product Details

Table of Contents

Translator's Preface
Author's Preface to the U.S. Edition
Acknowledgments
1 The Encounter 1
2 The Mystery 10
3 Popular Music and the Brazilian Elite 17
4 The Unity of the Nation 32
5 Race Mixture 43
6 Gilberto Freyre 53
7 The Modern Samba 67
8 Samba of My Native Land 77
9 Nowhere at All 93
10 Conclusions 107
Notes 119
Index 137
Read More Show Less

Customer Reviews

Be the first to write a review
( 0 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(0)

4 Star

(0)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines
Add Recommendations
Your Name: Create a Pen Name or

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identity on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

 
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously
    If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble
    Why is this product inappropriate?
    Comments (optional)