Often called the "most African" part of Brazil, the northeastern state of Bahia has the country's largest Afro-descendant population and a black culture renowned for its vibrancy. In "Mama Africa," Patricia de Santana Pinho examines the meanings of Africa in Bahian constructions of blackness. Combining insights from anthropology, sociology, and cultural studies, Pinho considers how Afro-Bahian cultural groups, known as "blocos afro," conceive of Africanness, blackness, and themselves in relation to both. "Mama Africa" is a translated, updated, and expanded edition of an award-winning book...

Often called the "most African" part of Brazil, the northeastern state of Bahia has the country's largest Afro-descendant population and a black culture renowned for its vibrancy. In "Mama Africa," Patricia de Santana Pinho examines the meanings of Africa in Bahian constructions of blackness. Combining insights from anthropology, sociology, and cultural studies, Pinho considers how Afro-Bahian cultural groups, known as "blocos afro," conceive of Africanness, blackness, and themselves in relation to both. "Mama Africa" is a translated, updated, and expanded edition of an award-winning book...