Reconfiguring Capoeira: Global Transformations of an Afro-Brazilian Art

In the past two and a half decades, capoeira has experienced a remarkable global expansion. However, it’s challenging to quantify its full extent. This book aims to explore the diverse reconfigurations and resignifications that capoeira has undergone in the new millennium. It brings together a diverse group of experts from various disciplines, including anthropology, history, ethnomusicology, political science, and social activism. One of the book’s primary objectives is to examine capoeira’s recent resurgence in Africa, where various countries across the continent have witnessed significant practical and ritual innovations. Additionally, the book delves into capoeira’s role as a tool of political discourse and activism in Brazil, the United States, and beyond, and how it has been instrumental in supporting causes advocating for ethnic minorities in Europe and the Middle East. As an art deeply rooted in its African ancestral past, capoeira’s adoption by groups in diverse locations like Ghana, Togo, Benin, Guinea Bissau, Nigeria, and Angola, demonstrates a revitalization that has yet to be fully explored in capoeira studies. This book seeks to revisit this expansive movement while always keeping its impact in Brazil in mind.The collected texts provide a comprehensive overview of capoeira’s global status, the new territories it has conquered, and its power as an art of resistance. In this context, the concept of resistance becomes crucial in understanding its significance and current influence on the world.