Introduction to the Analysis of Portuguese and Brazilian Cultures
Cross-listed with RMST260
A critical analysis of different cultural genres, including music, film and visual art through the study of selected Portuguese and Brazilian texts. Know about the origins of Portugal, the influences on the country and the Portuguese language, and the main cultural aspects of Brazilian culture. Go beyond fado, soccer and samba, and get to know other cultural expressions, such as the Portuguese cuisine and the Brazilian capoeira and telenovelas. Organized in thematic units with texts, videos, and specific critical perspectives, it will emphasize questions pertaining to the culture of everyday life, both rural and urban, including folklore, popular literature, ritual, arts and crafts, music, television, film and sports.
Required readings:
- Assunção, Matthias Röhrig (2005). Capoeira the history of an Afro-Brazilian martial art. New York: Routledge.
- Birmingham, D. (2018). Peoples, cultures and colonies. In A Concise History of Portugal (Cambridge Concise Histories, pp. 11-34). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/9781108539951.005
- Carvalho, Martha de Ulhoa (1995). Tupi or not Tupi MPB: Popular Music and Identity in Brazil. In: David J. Hass & Roberto A. DaMatta (eds). The Brazilian Puzzle: Culture on the Borderlands of the Western World. New York: Columbia University Press.
- Chazkel, Amy (2011). Laws of Chance: Brazil clandestine lottery and the making of urban public life. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
- Kristal, Efrain; Passos, Jose Luiz (2006). Machado de Assis and the Question of Brazilian National Identity. In: Carmen Nava & Ludwig Lauerhass Jr. (eds). Brazil in the Making: Facets of National Identity. Oxford: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Inc.
- Levine, R.; Crocitti, J. (eds.) (2002). The Brazil Reader: History, Culture, Politics. Duke University Press.
- McGowan, Chris; Pessanha, Ricardo (2009). Brazilian Sound: samba, bossa nova, and the popular music of Brazil. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
- Page, J. A. (1996). The Brazilians. Da Capo Press, 1996.
- Ribeiro, Darcy (2000). The Brazilian People: Formation and Meaning of Brazil. Florida: University of Florida Press.
- Saramago, J. (2000). Journey to Portugal: in pursuit of Portugal’s history and culture. New York: Harcourt.
- Tufte, Thomas (2000). Living with the Rubbish Queen: Telenovelas, Culture and Modernity in Brazil. Luton, UK: University of Luton Press.
- Young, Augustus (1994). Lampion and his bandits. London: Central Books.
Prerequisite: None
Note: Credit will be granted for only one of PORT 222 or RMST 260.
Language of Instruction: English