Abstract
This dissertation investigates the inclusion of women in capoeira: an Afro-Brazilian martial art, dance, and musical tradition. Believed to have originated among communities of African slaves in colonial Brazil, capoeira represents a unique practice because men and women perform together, interact,and compete simultaneously. The last 40 years have seen a revolution in the number of female students and teachers practising capoeira both in Brazil and abroad. Capoeira offers its students an inclusive and validating space for bodily self-expression and physical empowerment; however, this is not always guaranteed due to hierarchical power structures within some groups. The growing influence of female leaders is challenging historical male-centred narratives in capoeira. My research fulfils the need to document, compare and analyse the emerging oral and embodied narratives of women who train in capoeira groups in Brazil and in Europe. This multi sited, cross-cultural study
represents an innovative and timely contribution to discussions of creolization, decolonialization, performance, race, and gender theory, and shows how gendered identities are being questioned and redefined by a diasporic practice from the Global South. My findings will be of interest to both practitioners and researchers of capoeira and Afro-Brazilian music, culture, politics and history, and of performative art forms as a site of investigation for gender and cultural studies.
| Date of Award | 2 Dec 2021 |
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| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
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| Supervisor | Matthew D Brown (Supervisor) & Rachel Randall (Supervisor) |