A Classroom Intersection of Sport and Society
At Rutgers University–Newark, Professor Isadora Grevan invites students into a classroom where the roar of a stadium blends with the rhythm of samba, creating a space where sport, music, and spirituality intersect.
The course, titled “Soccer, Samba, and Spiritualism: Performing Brazil,” delves into the ways football permeates Brazilian daily life, from street corners and beach pitches to schoolyards, and how it is inseparable from the nation’s musical and religious expressions.
Grevan, a native of Rio de Janeiro who grew up watching matches in the Ironbound district of Newark, brings a personal perspective to the analysis, linking the campus’s vibrant Brazilian community to the broader cultural tapestry of Brazil.
She explains that team loyalties are often inherited, with families passing down support for clubs such as Fluminense across generations, while fans may light candles or whisper prayers for their side’s victory, blending the secular with the sacred.
The curriculum draws on the work of anthropologists like Roberto DaMatta and historian Joel Rufino dos Santos, who trace football’s evolution from an elite pastime to a mass obsession shaped by Black and working‑class Brazilians.
It also scrutinizes the role of Afro‑Brazilian religions such as Candomblé and Umbanda, showing how their rituals infuse samba and even capoeira with a distinct cultural flavor that distinguishes Brazilian football on the world stage.
The course does not shy away from the political dimension of the sport, discussing how presidents from Getúlio Vargas to contemporary leaders have leveraged football’s popularity to promote a narrative of Brazil as a harmonious multicultural society, while scholars highlight the persistent inequalities and racial prejudice that surface, as illustrated by the racist abuse faced by star forward Vinícius Júnior abroad.
Students entering the class often arrive attracted by the pop‑culture allure of Brazilian football, only to discover a rigorous examination of race, class, and identity that challenges simplistic narratives of a post‑racial nation.
The classroom dynamic is reciprocal; Grevan frequently learns from her students, many of whom possess encyclopedic knowledge of Brazilian players and statistics, enriching the dialogue with lived expertise.
Through this interdisciplinary approach, the course not only illuminates the cultural significance of soccer in Brazil but also invites a broader reflection on how sport can serve as a stage for negotiating collective identity and social justice.