BA Politics and Portuguese / Course details

This unit examines the history and development of musical expression in the Portuguese-speaking world in response to political and societal changes. Spanning Brazil, Portugal and Portuguese-speaking Africa, it traces the origins of samba in the Atlantic slave trade; the establishment of morna, kizomba and marrabenta as sites of protest and resistance in Portuguese-speaking Africa; the explosive popularity of bossa nova and música popular brasileira (MPB) in Brazil; and finally the influences these diverse musical genres have had on musical production in Portugal proper. Students will learn how the circulation of people and ideas around the Black Atlantic came to define the musical landscape of the Lusophone world today, from rhythm and instrumentation to the contexts and ensembles in which music is played, performed and recorded. The unit also aims to familiarise students with the key historical changes that shaped the Portuguese-speaking world since the Age of Exploration, such as the enduring legacies of slavery and the contested years of white-minority rule in Southern Africa until 1974. In addition, students will have the opportunity to learn about the specific histories of understudied countries such as Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Angola and Mozambique. No knowledge of the Portuguese language or musical theory is required, and some material will involve native or creole languages, though students of Portuguese will have the opportunity to analyse lyrics in the original. 
 

The unit aims to:

• Familiarise students with the key musical movements and performers from Brazil, Portugal, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Angola and Mozambique
• Examine the influence of history and politics on the development of musical traditions in these countries, from the sixteenth century to the present
• Examine how the legacies of slavery, colonialism, dictatorship and the Cold War continue to inform musical production in the present day
• Familiarise students with the many aspects of musical production, such as rhythm, instrumentation, performance and recording, as well as the ability to discuss these precisely and critically 

Synchronous lectures

Seminars: discussion of songs, music videos and secondary literature 
 

• Understand the key historical and political events of the Lusophone world since 1500
• Understand how these events have transformed musical production in Portuguese-speaking countries
• Understand the key musical movements and figures from Brazil, Portugal and Lusophone Africa 
   

• Compare music from different contexts, continents and time periods
• Analyse music and musical performances in a critical and technical manner 

• Create and edit videos
• Understand the basics of rhythm, instrumentation and harmony 
   

• Group work/interpersonal skills
• Writing skills
   

Resit Assessment

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Barbara Alge, Transatlantic Musical Flows in the Lusophone World, 2013

David Treece, Brazilian Jive: From Samba to Bossa and Rap, 2013

James H Kennedy, “José Carlos Schwartz: Bard of Popular Mobilization in Guinea Bissau” (Présence Africaine 137/138, pp. 91-101)

Carla Martin, “Cesária Évora: ‘The Barefoot Diva’ and Other Stores” (Transition, No. 103, Cabo Verde (2010), pp. 82-97)

Marissa Jean Moorman, Intonations: A Social History of Music and Nation in Luanda, 2008

Marissa Jean Moorman, “Anamtomy of Kuduro: Articulating the Angolan Body Politic after the War”, African Studies Review 57:3 (2014), pp. 21-40

Marco Roque de Freitas, "Between War, Politics, and “Something Nice Back Home”: Uncovering the First Mozambican Experiences within the “World Music” Market (1987–1994)"

Paulo Pires Pepe, “Queer Interventions in Amália Rodrigues and António Variações”, Estrema Vol. 1. No. 2 (2013)