The Terrible Plague of Capoeiras: Marginality, Imaginary and Black Territoriality in the Extreme South of Brazil, 1850-1912ABSTRACT
This text analyzes some evidence of the practice of capoeira in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil) between the mid-nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century. It aims to identify the presence of capoeiristas as a social type using newspapers, such as A Federação, which is available in the Brazilian National Library’s digital collection, the records of criminal proceedings held in the Public Archive of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, and the accounts of contemporary writers, such as Achylles Porto Alegre and Ary Sanhudo. Based on this evidence, I argue that, contrary to what common sense holds, capoeira did not originate from a single large dissemination center, but rather spread as a result of its practitioners circulating through a wide area that spanned from the north to the south of the Brazilian territory. This practice influenced the image of these marginalized people in the form of black territorialization in the white mentality and became a source of tension for those who considered themselves heirs of European civilization.
Keywords:
Capoeira; Porto Alegre; Black Territory; Afro-Brazilian Culture; Rio Grande do Sul