Why bother studying Capoeira and Social Inclusion? An Introduction

“… diverse discourses and attitudes are pervasive in an environment in which philosophical empathies and disagreements are made even more evident through bodily interactions…”

This post is an excerpt of my PhD confirmation paper presented on May 2010. Here I share an introduction on the importance of discussing Capoeira and social inclusion, and begin to theorise on inclusion/exclusion through the practice. In the coming weeks I’ll post a historical account written for this same paper.

Please, feel free to drop your thoughts and critics.

Axé!

Eurico

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Why Capoeira and Social Inclusion? An Introduction

Capoeira is a syncretic cultural system¹ forged by the interplay of diverse ethnicities in Brazil. Throughout centuries the practice served as weapon of resistance to enslaved Africans, Amerindians, mestizos, and exiled Europeans. Given its intercultural origins Capoeira evolved as an interdisciplinary manifestation simultaneously encompassing martial-art, dance, ritual, musical performance and theatre; causing non-initiated people some difficulty in understanding it. Such complexities indicates that one must dedicate a considerable amount of time in practice (or studying it) to grasp its peculiarities, and most importantly its cultural and philosophical importance to practitioners around the world.

What draws practitioners to the art and later drives their cultural engagement can differ regardless of their nationality, however, somehow Capoeira seems to cater for a range of motivations and orientations. The many different takes on the art by diverse groups and the large number of multi-ethnic practitioners engaged in a variety of these training centres is striking.

Moreover, diverse discourses and attitudes are pervasive in an environment in which philosophical empathies and disagreements are made even more evident through bodily interactions. At the core of Capoeira is the interaction/game between two players in which elements of competition and cooperation are always present respectively through the martial-art and the dance feature. The embodied nature of the practice occasionally reveals incongruences between the groups’ adopted discourses and their praxis while often making more evident the bridging and bonding potential of Capoeira within and across the same groups.

Despite its rampant increase in popularity and its multinational acceptance since the 1970s, explorations of Capoeira within the area of Community Development are far more recent. In Australia, for instance, in 2004 the Office of Crime Prevention of Western Australia granted $17,000 in funds “to boost self-steem among young people in Perth’s northern suburbs.” By then, the Community Safety Minister Michelle Roberts stated that “this outstanding program will help to foster racial harmony, reinforce family and community values and reduce incidence of crime and anti-social behaviour in the community.²”

In 2008, the ABC Far North Queensland website posted an article with the subheading “The Brazilian martial-art of Capoeira combines strategic self-defence with music, dance and acrobatic. It’s playing a unique role in the Far North, helping young people who’ve been on the wrong side of the law to develop better lives.” James Biviano, who runs the programmes at the Cairns Police Citizens Youth Club, says that “[t]here’s an extra level of diversity in Capoeira, that other martial arts have never really needed to tap into … They walk through our door, straight from Juvenile Detention,” says James. “When they come to Capoeira, they’re able to tap into a new source of self-confidence. They’re able to take this [self-confidence] into social situations. Also the ability to do acrobatics … it’s a very empowering feeling for these people to have.³”

This study is concerned with these new explorations, more specifically with the potential enhancement of social inclusive processes by the practice of Capoeira in non-Brazilian contexts. It is also interested in investigating the assumption that Capoeira can serve as a platform bridging cultural gulfs and enhancing tolerance of diversity, promoting social inclusion, and cultural empowerment among practitioners.

Such assumption among practitioners is generally based upon practical experience and the knowledge of concepts widely accepted as the ‘art’s principles’. This assumption is commonly underpinned by the following arguments: a) that Capoeira provides an intriguing activity to be shared among people from different cultural backgrounds creating a common interest; b) that given the art’s focus on both playfulness and fair-play within a context in which games can happen between people from ages, sex, and different levels of expertise, the practice equips its practitioners with interpersonal skills allowing them to acknowledge and see through the eyes of “the other”; and c) that functioning as a practical philosophy underpinned by a cultural system, the lessons learnt within the art’s micro-cosmos easily transcends into one’s ‘normal’ life (macro-cosmos).

For the purpose of this investigation, given the interdisciplinary character of the subject matter and the complexity of the social interactions within the field, this project will apply a combination of sociological areas of study (Cultural Sociology, Sociology of Sport, and Sociology of the Body) as a theoretical framework. Seeking to test the above mentioned suppositions and contribute to the current debate about Capoeira and social inclusion, the present study aims to:

1. Discuss the intercultural origins of Capoeira in relation to the current debates, usually polarised between a ‘nationalist’ and an ‘Afro-centric’ view;

2. Contribute to the current debate concerning the effectiveness of Capoeira as a tool towards social inclusion and intercultural learning, discussing both its potentialities and shortcomings;

3. Discuss the applicability of Capoeira within community development oriented programs; and;

4. Investigate and unveil underlying socio-cultural tensions within the practice in regards to such applications and matters of authenticity in a global context.

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Notes