Problems with hierarchy and problems with tradition: The critique of male power in Afro‐Brazilian capoeira

Abstract

This article examines the critique of male power in Afro-Brazilian capoeira. Capoeira is a practice that combines elements of music, dance, fight, and art. In the last twenty years, it has experienced unprecedented global expansion. Therefore, people in Brazil and abroad have begun questioning the hierarchies of power and knowledge that traditionally have structured groups around the figure of a mestre (a male leader). The article comparatively explores the tensions between the meaning of "tradition" and recent cultural innovations in capoeira groups. It focuses on women's importance in reconfiguring capoeira in the last ten years in Brazil and how they challenge a male-centered perspective of this art through a resignification of history and cultural practice.K E Y WO R D S capoeira, feminism, hierarchy, power, tradition, women ResumenEl presente artículo examina la crítica del poder masculino en la capoeira afrobrasileña. La capoeira es una práctica que combina elementos de música, danza, lucha y arte. En los últimos veinte años, ha experimentado una expansión global sin precedentes. Por lo tanto, las personas en Brasil y en el extranjero han comenzado a cuestionar las jerarquías de poder y conocimiento que tradicionalmente han estructurado los grupos alrededor de la figura de un mestre (líder masculino). Este artículo explora comparativamente las tensiones que existen entre el significado de "tradición" e innovaciones culturales recientes en los grupos de capoeira. Se enfoca en la importancia de las mujeres en la reconfiguración de la capoeira en los últimos diez años en Brasil y cómo éstas desafían una perspectiva centrada en lo masculino a través de la resignificación de la historia y de su práctica cultural.

A Typology of Martial Arts Scholar–Practitioners: Types, Transitions, and Tensions in Capoeira

“…Furthermore, since the 1990s, there has been a significant increase in academic publications on Capoeira and a broadening of the range of disciplines and topics. While earlier research focused primarily on the history and technique of Capoeira [8][9][10] or devoted to the biography of prominent Mestres (masters) [11], more recent studies have explored its social, political, and cultural dimensions [12][13][14][15]. Scholars from various disciplines, including anthropology [16], sociology [17], musicology [18], and dance studies [19], have generated new insights into Capoeira's practice and meaning.…”

“…Simultaneously she is an active member of the Abadá Capoeira Group. Sergio González Varela [15,17,25] is a professor at the Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology at the University of Warsaw, Poland, and is a well-known practitioner of Capoeira Angola.…”