"Throughout the last century, the idea of popular culture in Brazil was intertwined with matters affecting the nation and national identity – symbols and practices that in combination became representative emblems of the essence of the country. However, there is a structural ambiguity that pervade ... s and constitutes the idea of popular culture among us. At the same time, popular culture can undeniably be equated with the nation, since the weaknesses and social disruptions that have beset Brazilian history are constantly being examined and debated. These include colonialism, slavery, imperialism, backwardness/underdevelopment, social inequality and ethnic/racial exclusion." (Page 510) more

"Research on popular culture is a dynamic, fast-growing domain. In scholarly terms, it cuts across many areas, including communication studies, sociology, history, American studies, anthropology, literature, journalism, folklore, economics, and media and cultural studies. The Routledge Companion to ... Global Popular Culture provides an authoritative, up-to-date, intellectually broad, internationally-aware, and conceptually agile guide to the most important aspects of popular culture scholarship. Specifically, this Companion includes: "interdisciplinary models and approaches for analyzing popular culture; wide-ranging case studies; discussions of economic and policy underpinnings; analysis of textual manifestations of popular culture; examinations of political, social, and cultural dynamics and discussions of emerging issues such as ecological sustainability and labor. Featuring scholarly voices from across six continents, The Routledge Companion to Global Popular Culture presents a nuanced and wide-ranging survey of popular culture research." (Publisher description) more