The Periphery Rises: Technology and Cultural Legitimization in Belém’s Tecnobrega

  • Marcio Bahia Vanderbilt University
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21471/jls.v13i0.3
Keywords: Brazil, Music, Popular Culture, Northeast

Abstract

In the mid-2000s, tecnobrega, a popular rhythm from the Amazon region of Brazil, rose to national prominence. This article provides a historical overview of the development of this industry and gives an inside perspective of the stigma tecnobrega has carried. It shows how cult of new technology plays a central role in the cultural legitimization of tecnobrega, and analyzes a particular case of partnership between mass media and academia that has been decisive in this process. Finally, it presents tecnobrega as an example of a larger phenomenon, pointing to the rise of a new Música Periférica Brasileira.

Author Biography

Marcio Bahia, Vanderbilt University
Marcio Bahia is an Assistant Professor of Portuguese at Vanderbilt U. He received his PhD from the U of Ottawa in 2011. His research focuses on Brazilian cultural studies, cultural mobilities, Brazilian literature and new media, and Inter-American literature with articles published in several journals in Brazil and Canada. He is now working on the first scholarly monograph in English on the rise of the Tecnobrega music scene in Brazil.
Published
2015-04-01
Issue
Vol 13 (2015): ellipsis
Section
Articles

Copyright (c) 2015 Marcio Bahia

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.