Commercialization of Brazilian samba
Photo from a mural painted outside of a music store and event space in Santa Teresa, Rio de Janeiro
Samba, once criminalized due to its African-Brazilian heritage, has been a symbol of Brazilian identity and unity within the country since the Brazilian elite’s embrace and dissemination of samba through radio in the 1920s. Today, samba is heard and performed across the country and some “sambas,” or samba performances, are frequented by tourists. As a participatory performance, where the line between performer and observer is blurred, the commercialization of samba for international tourists incites questions about whether samba’s imagined community and meaning are impacted by tourism and what history samba presents to tourists about Brazil. This research project grounded in Brazil leads to generalizable applications to notions of the commercialization of art and how meaning-making through art changes in different contexts and communities.
This project is a continuation of research from the course “Ethnography and Music” (fall, 2024). My peer researcher and I received funding to conduct ethnographic research in Rio and Salvador in Brazil from The Hopkins Center for the Arts, Dartmouth’s Department of Music and The Leslie Center for the Humanities.
Come back in February 2025 to read about our findings!
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Conducting field research with a peer researcher and collaborating on a written ethnographic narrative. Interviewing dozens of professional and informal musicians, dancers, and participants, involving interlocuters into narrative creation.
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Using history and theory to understand samba as a story of Brazil. Interweaving dozens of experiences as well as my own to create cohesive narrative.
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Managed grant applications, resulting in over $9,000 of funding from three grant sources. Created deadlines and itinerary, established network, and balanced field-research and writing.
