Latin American popular culture
The Cazumbá is an enigmatic trickster of the Bumba-meu-boi celebration, sotaque de Pindaré or Baixada.
The interest in peasant societies and an oral history project have led me to recognize the importance of popular culture for historians. Popular art forms allow unique insights into the ways history is seen ‘from below’. It also permits a better understanding of popular intervention in politics and society. Hence my current interest in popular dances, carnival, tricksters & clowns, and the celebrations of patron saints. Some of these forms (such as the samba de roda, tambor de crioula or capoeira) are now recognized as part of the immaterial heritage of Brazil. They also contribute to strengthen communities that took over former plantation lands in their fight for communal property rights or environmental protection for the lands on which they live.
Other research interests:
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