Product Description

Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian martial art now spreading over the rest of the world and this book, the only complete history of the art in the English language, traces the history of the martial art and examines its influence.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #417330 in Books
• Published on: 2004-09-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

From the Back Cover
Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian martial art now spreading over the rest of the world, and is the only sport from Brazil that seeks Olympic recognition. Originally the preserve of the underclasses in Brazilian society, capoeira is now practised amongst the middle-classes, and even taught as a sport in schools. The author explores the history of capoeira and explores the conflict between traditionalists, who view capoeira as their heritage descended from the maroons, a weapon to be used against injustice and repression; reformers, who wish to see the spread of the sport internationally; and academics, who are attempting to discover the true history of capoeira as opposed to the myth.

About the Author
Matthias Röhrig Assunção studied history and Latin American Studies in Paris (Vincennes, Jussieu and Sorbonne Nouvelle). After some years spent carrying out field research in Brazil he completed his PhD at the Free University in Berlin. From 1985 to 1992 he taught History at the Latin American Institute in Berlin, before going to the University of Essex, UK in 1993. He is currently Lecturer for the Department of History and the Institute of Latin American Studies at the University of Essex, UK. His publications include a history of plantation society in Maranhão, Northern Brazil, an oral history of a peasant and slave revolt in the same province, and the edition of an anthology of the Brazilian baroque poet Gregório de Mattos.

Customer Reviews

Capoeira Fan
This is a very interesting book. I learnt an awful lot about the history of the sport and I would recommended that anyone with an interest in Capoeira should read this. The author has made this a truly fascinating read..........Highly Recommended!