Anthropology of Afro-Brazilian and African Populations

Research Projects:

Brazil in trance – Afro-Brazilian religions and national identity

Description: This research project aims to interpret the ways in which elements inherent of the world of Afro-Brazilian religions dialogue with other spheres of national culture (favouring those more related to playful and aesthetic dimensions, such as popular music, capoeira, festivals, literature, cinema etc.), generating an agenda of consumption and production of symbolic goods that are often made into national symbols of our cultural uniqueness. By a synchronous anthropological perspective, combined, where appropriate, with a historical and diachronic approach, we intend to evaluate, from some specific contexts, the participation of Afro-Brazilian religions in the formation of a recognizable ethos in terms of behaviour, lifestyle, and symbolic production in broad sectors of Brazilian society. The research also proposes to represent this intricate relational universe by resources offered by hypermedia (articulation of several texts – hypertext, sounds, images etc.), a language whose dynamic character allow to incorporate in ethnography the different dimensions of the analysed cultural phenomena. Thus, we intend to point out one of the ways in which scientific and technological innovations of hypermedia can be used as instruments that are also advantageous in generating new knowledge in the field of anthropology.

Professor in charge: Vagner Gonçalves da Silva (vagnergo@usp.br)

 

African and Afro-Brazilian Identities

Description: The project aims to establish correlations between African and Afro-Brazilian identity models. Similarities and differences in the processes of collective identity production will be on the agenda in these studies, which provide field and non-field work.

Professor in charge: Kabengele Munanga (kabe@usp.br)