Where Is the Carnivalesque in Rio’s Carnaval? Samba, Mulatas and ModernityPosted in Anthropology, Articles, Brazil, Caribbean/Latin America, Media Archive, Women on 2011-07-02 03:46Z by Steven |
Where Is the Carnivalesque in Rio’s Carnaval? Samba, Mulatas and Modernity
Visual Anthropology
Volume 21, Issue 2 (2008)
pages 95-111
DOI: 10.1080/08949460701688775
Natasha Pravaz, Associate Professor of Anthropology
Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
This article chronicles the historical normalization of carnaval parades and samba performances in Rio de Janeiro, by looking at the progressive standardization of audiovisual imagery fueled by a nationalistic project based on cultural appropriation. Afro-Brazilian performance traditions have come to stand for Brazilian national identity since at least the 1930s, and practices of visual consumption such as shows de mulata (spectacles where Afro-Brazilian women dance the samba) have elevated “mixed-race” women to be icons of Brazilianness. While these practices have de-emphasized grotesque excess in order to fit scopophilic drives, they have failed to secure a firm grip over performers’ experiences.
Read or purchase the article here.