THE DEBATE BETWEEN POPULAR AND ERUDITE CULTURE IN THE CARIOCA CARNAVAL

Abstract

<doi>10.12957/tecap.2014.16256

In the project thought by the republican elites, popular groups were deprived from a more effective political participation, while their cultural manifestations were seen as representative of the delay of Brazil in relation to “civilized” countries. One of these “undesirable” manifestations was the samba which, like the samba schools, has its origin in segregated spaces of Rio de Janeiro. The samba schools, which emerged in the late 1920s, reflect a new way for popular groups to enjoy Carnaval. Subsequently, from its recognition as a manifestation of popular culture, at the beginning of its existence the samba schools suffered attempts of control as they were barred from expressing political or demanding themes, for example. With the emergence of the “carnavalesco”, a new aesthetic standard is settled in the samba schools, which then become a target for allegedly meeting the elite’s aesthetic style, making the samba schools lose their popular character.