Description
The paper uses Brazilian funk as a lens for understanding the particularities of Brazilian militarisation from a queer/feminist perspective. We explore funk’s gendered constructions, how these intersect with race and class, and trace its imbrication in broader histories of drug trafficking, police violence, and international trade (Moreira, 2017; Costa de Faria, 2015; Ribeiro, 2021; Sneed, 2007). Funk has its origins in the late 1980s and early 1990s in the marginalized favela communities of Rio de Janeiro. Whilst it is now a world-renowned rhythm, coming to global prominence at the turn of the 21st century via artists such as MIA and Diplo, it continues to be stigmatized and criminalized due to its association to violent territories, Black communities, and sexualised lyrics celebrating ‘bandido’ (‘thug’) and ‘poor/simple’ ways of life. The paper focuses on a less common type of funk, sung by socially and economically marginalized women, largely from the favelas of Rio. We suggest that women’s funk cultural expressions offer important insights into both understanding - and contesting - violent forms of militarisation and its multiple (colonial, capitalist, militaristic) manifestations in Brazil, tracing its implications for the study of global politics and the broader field of International Relations.
