The social construction of the meaning of “malandragem”: Between work and adventure

Abstract

This paper investigates the production of the socially constructed meanings that are attributed to “malandragen” (rascal
or streetwise behavior) and certain types of “malandros” (rascals), in the city of Rio de Janeiro, where discourses are elaborated by a number of “sambistas” also known as the “bambas” of the carioca’s samba. The main focus of this thesis stems from the idea that the “malandro” character discussed in these narratives synthesizes the world which he represents: in permanent tension between tradition and modernity. What is proposed is to present the image of the “malandro” as a personified symbol of the clash between traditional social practices associated with adventure and absence of order of the self, and the attempt to overcome this, by means of a project of modernization imposed on Brazilian society during the first few decades of the 20th century.