Discursivity, power and authorship in Raps

• Grant number: 12/11240-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: August 01, 2012
• End date: March 31, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Linguistics, Literature and Arts - Linguistics - Linguistic Theory and Analysis
• Principal Investigator: Cristine Gorski Severo
• Grantee: Tatiana Aparecida Moreira
• Host Institution: Centro de Educação e Ciências Humanas (CECH). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 12/24321-8 - Words and "contrapalavras": between the periphery and the center in raps of Brazil and Portugal, BE.EP.DR

Abstract

This research intends to analyze rap discourses in Brazil, especially the ones produced by "Racionais MC's" and "MV Bill": both are considered significant representatives of national hip hop movement for their social practices as well as the polyphonic critical meaning of their raps. Thus, we will use Bakhtin's studies (1996 [1979], 2003 [1992]) as well as the studies of the Circle (dialogism, responsiveness, style, exceed of vision, exotópico) and Foucalt's studies about authorship, relations of power/resistance (1996 [1970], 1997 [1979], 1999 [1977], 2002a [1976], 2002b [1969], 2004 [1984] as theoretic support. We have also chosen Foucault because we will examine how power functions in the three instances that control discourse (production, circulation and reception) and how they can discipline, resist, subvert, normalize, whenever they produce different kinds of rap, especially the ones mentioned above. Considering the production, it's possible to see the authorship process acting together with power; for this reason, we will analyze the record collections of rappers; about the circulation, we will investigate digital mass communication which is full of rap discourses; as a third aspect we will search for blogs at Internet, taking into consideration upper and middle classes too. Thus, we try to understand the so called popular urban culture in Brazil. To achieve this purpose we will also join Certau's studies (2001, 2003), Canclini (2006, 2008) and again Bakhtin (1998, [1975]) and his studies about culture. We will discuss the relation of power and resistance between rap and rappers in Brazil. (AU)