Product Description

Samba is Brazil's "national rhythm", the symbol of its culture and nationhood. It symbolizes the racial and cultural mixture that, since the 1930s, most Brazilians have come to believe defines their unique national identity. But how did Brazil become "the Kingdom of Samba" only a few decades after abolishing slavery in 1888? The author of this book shows that the nationalization of samba actually rested on a long history of relations between different social groups, often working at cross-purposes to one another.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #206373 in Books
• Published on: 1999-02-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 168 pages

Review
"[A] dynamic and singular treatment of popular music, national identity and race." - Nelson Vieira, Brown University

About the Author
Hermano Vianna is a Brazillan anthropologist and writer who currently works in television. John Charles Chasteen is associate professor of history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Customer Reviews

the mystery of samba customer review
An excellent book! This book tells everything you need to know about samba and more. The book gives an insight into Brazilian society and into the hierarchical wealth system ingrained in the countries thinking. At the same time it gives you an indepth musical and dance knowledge, and describes Brazils history. I would recommend it to all music and dance lovers