The Mystery of Samba: Popular Music and National Identity in Brazil

Abstract

is Brazil's rhythm, symbol of its culture and nationhood. It symbolizes racial and cultural mixture that, since 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 nationalization of samba actually rested on a long history of relations between different social groups, often working at cross-purposes to one another.