Facing the Limits of the Extra-Cultural 24.06.2025 скачать в хорошем качестве

Facing the Limits of the Extra-Cultural 24.06.2025

by Asst. Prof. Sergio González Varela (CAS-E Fellow) Facing the Limits of the Extra-Cultural: Discovering “What You Cannot Learn” Through Pain, Body Transformation, and Performance in Afro-Brazilian Capoeira Human beings are often considered trapped in a world governed by cultural conventions that dictate their actions and behaviors. Anthropologists immerse themselves in other cultures through participant observation and acquisition of new conventions, which can include internalized social norms, a new language, emotions, altered body behavior, and heightened sensory perception. This presentation challenges the notion of complete confinement within conventional worlds. I propose the existence of a domain at the boundaries of conventionality, which aims to transcend it, called the extra-cultural. My extensive fieldwork in Afro-Brazilian capoeira supports this idea. Capoeira apprenticeship involves discovering esoteric power, called mandinga, and an alternative “reality” through body submission to pain during rigorous long-term training with a highly skilled mentor, called mestre. The pursuit of power in capoeira attempts to liberate the body from cultural constraints during ritual performances, aiming to transcend the ordinary and attain an extraordinary experience. This can be observed in the loss of body control guided by enigmatic forces that enable seemingly impossible feats, and the stealing of power of others through deception. In essence, at the intersection of culture and the human measure of the body, capoeira presents new possibilities beyond those constrained by prevailing cultural norms. “The speaker has authorized the use of this content on YouTube by CAS-E through the execution of the required copyright consent forms. This video may contain copyrighted material used with permission from the copyright owner or in accordance with fair use provisions under applicable copyright laws. Unauthorized use, reproduction, or distribution of any part of this content is strictly prohibited.”