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A PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE: CAPOEIRA AND SOCIAL INCLUSION IN THE PERIPHERY OF SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL BY JACLYN DONELLE MCWHORTER A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2018 1 © 2018 Jaclyn Donelle McWhorter ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I thank my parents, family, and friends who supported me in different ways throughout my personal journey. I also thank Contra-Mestre Bocão, David de Lima, without whom I would have embarked on a different path. I thank my advisor, Peter Collings, for counseling me from the very beginning of my entrance into the program and pushing me through the final steps when I needed it most. I also thank my committee members Larry Crook, Tanya Saunders, and Chris McCarty for all of the comments and feedback to make this project a success, as well as Mike Heckenberger for the help early on. In addition, I thank every single person who did not believe in me or who gave me negative energy along my journey, because without you I would not have grown the strength and courage to complete this work for myself. 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................................. 3 LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... 6 ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................... 7 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 9 The Journey ............................................................................................................ 11 The Research Context ............................................................................................ 15 2 THE FOUNDATION: CAPOEIRA AND ITS CONTEXTUAL SOCIAL THEMES ..... 22 Background ............................................................................................................. 23 The Practice of Capoeira ........................................................................................ 24 The Basics ........................................................................................................ 27 The Origins ....................................................................................................... 29 The Lessons ..................................................................................................... 30 The Complications ............................................................................................ 31 Context in Urban Brazil ........................................................................................... 34 Cultural Capital ....................................................................................................... 36 Resistance .............................................................................................................. 38 Citizenship .............................................................................................................. 46 3 METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................... 54 Participatory Action Research ................................................................................. 54 Geographic Space .................................................................................................. 58 Methods .................................................................................................................. 60 Complications in Positionality ................................................................................. 64 Primary Research Participants ............................................................................... 69 Practicum Project .................................................................................................... 74 4 THE PHILOSOPHY: LIVING AS A CAPOEIRISTA ................................................ 81 Case Study Methodology ........................................................................................ 82 Living As A Capoeirista: 11 Stories ......................................................................... 83 Mestre Coruja: The Adjective of Ability ............................................................. 83 Contra-Mestra Grazi: An Example for Everything ............................................. 87 Contra-Mestre Negão: The Opportunity to be Respected ................................ 90 Professor Cicinho: Sharing Life Experiences ................................................... 92 Professor James: A Salvation .......................................................................... 94 Professora Maré: Balance to Deal with Situations ............................................ 96 Instrutor Perna: Interpreting Different Sides ..................................................... 98 Instrutor Passarinho: Reaching Your Dreams ................................................ 100 Instrutora Felina: Changed my Life for the Better ........................................... 103 Instrutor Guaiamum: Life Perspective ............................................................ 104 Instrutor Xaréu: Being the Best You Can Be .................................................. 107 Analysis ................................................................................................................ 110 5 CAPOEIRA AND COMMON THEMES IN BRAZILIAN SOCIETY ........................ 112 Outlying Perspectives: 11 Stories ......................................................................... 114 Mestre Coruja: The System does not Open Itself ........................................... 114 Professor James: The Street .......................................................................... 117 Professor Cicinho: This is Reality ................................................................... 121 Instrutor Passarinho: A Path Without Return .................................................. 125 Instrutor Perna: Wanting to Be Somebody ..................................................... 126 Contra-Mestre Negão: The Ego of the Capoeirista ........................................ 129 Instrutor Xaréu: Impeding and Discriminating ................................................. 132 Contra-Mestra Grazi: The Issue of the Power of the Woman ......................... 133 Instrutora Fernanda: Sometimes We Suffer ................................................... 137 Instrutor Guaiamum: Machismo Starts from the Woman ................................ 140 Professora Maré: Disrespect for Women........................................................ 142 Analysis ................................................................................................................ 146 6 CONCLUSION: THE ESSENCE OF CAPOEIRA ................................................. 149 Capoeira and Social Inclusion .............................................................................. 149 Common Themes from the Interviews .................................................................. 155 Complications of Research ................................................................................... 156 Capoeira to Me ..................................................................................................... 163 LIST OF REFERENCES ............................................................................................. 166 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH .......................................................................................... 171 LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 2-1 Capoeira Instruments ......................................................................................... 53 2-2 Map of city of São Paulo within Brazil ................................................................. 53 2-3 Map of Pirituba within the city of São Paulo ....................................................... 53 Abstract of Dissertation Presented to the Graduate School of the University of Florida in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy A PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE: CAPOEIRA AND SOCIAL INCLUSION IN THE PERIPHERY OF SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL By Jaclyn Donelle McWhorter August 2018 Chair: Peter Collings Major: Anthropology This research employs phenomenological methodology to dissect the underlying implications of the Brazilian martial art of capoeira, and how it is utilized as a form of social inclusion for participants. Capoeira was first developed in the 1600s, as enslaved African immigrants disguised it as a dance in order to trick their masters and seek freedom. Because it is historically rooted in resilience and resistance, capoeira has become a philosophy of life for most of its practitioners today. This ethnography demonstrates alternatives to the development discourse, as this discourse tends to focus on top-down westernized approaches that oppress the other cultures in which they are incorporated. My approach differs by observing ways that community-based approaches utilize culture as a tool for resilience and resistance in the modern struggle for citizenship and agency. The phenomenological approach employed in this dissertation follows the writings of Freire (1970), who calls for the inclusion of participants in the creation of the research design in order to allow the locals to shape the problem and identify meaningful themes that frame the overall project.