The Unknown Carnival of Terceira Island (Azores, Portugal): Community, Heritage, and Identity on Stage

Andrea Mattia Marcelli (), Francisco Sousa, Josélia Fonseca, Leonor Sampaio da Silva, Marxiano Melotti and Susana Goulart Costa
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Andrea Mattia Marcelli: Department of Education, Università degli Studi Niccolò Cusano, 00166 Rome, Italy
Francisco Sousa: Centro Interdisciplinar de Ciências Sociais, Polo da Universidade dos Açores (CICS.NOVA.UAc), 9501-855 Ponta Delgada, Portugal
Josélia Fonseca: Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas, Universidade dos Açores, 9501-855 Ponta Delgada, Portugal
Leonor Sampaio da Silva: Centro de Humanidades (CHAM), Núcleo dos Açores, Universidade dos Açores, 9500-321 Ponta Delgada, Portugal
Marxiano Melotti: Centro Internazionale di Ricerca e Studi su Carnevale, Maschera e Satira (CMS), 70017 Putignano, BA, Italy
Susana Goulart Costa: Centro de Humanidades (CHAM), Núcleo dos Açores, Universidade dos Açores, 9500-321 Ponta Delgada, Portugal

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 20, 1-23

Abstract: Terceira Island hosts a Carnival that enjoys unique features in the landscape of European folklore. It involves a major share of the resident population, it takes place on stages scattered all over the island, and it involves a blend of dancing, music, and acting. This paper presents the preliminary results of a collaborative project between native and foreign scholars, with the activist goal of providing Terceira’s Carnival with visibility in order to ensure its preservation. Documentary evidence and fieldwork activities undertaken in 2020 provide grounds to interpret Terceira’s Carnival as a multi-modal endeavour that nurtures social cohesion through mythopoesis, subversion of hegemonic roles, and the distribution of leadership to folk elites. As such, we argue that Terceira’s Carnival does not fit traditional scholarly views on European Carnivals. Additionally, we show that, thanks to its ability to trigger identity-making processes, this Carnival is a case for cultural sustainability: in fact, it ensures the preservation of communal bonds in face of changing global and regional social landscapes.

Keywords: Azores; carnival; cultural heritage; identity; Portugal; Terceira Island (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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