Sociology of the Arts

This contribution aims to present a brief summary of a long research based on the events of the last decades in the city of Rio de Janeiro. This article follows a path that seeks primarily to understand the use of cultural and artistic devices as tools for a complex process of changes and  perspectives in the city. These changes are driven by the fact that the city of Rio has hosted two mega-events, the FIFA World Cup (2014) and the Olympics (2016), with a strong impact on the central and/or tourist areas of the city. The port area stands out as the main field of this research, from the idea of an abandoned area to the center of a cultural hub, with drastic visual, structural, and symbolic changes, with the building of Museu de Arte do Rio (Rio Museum of Art), and Museu do Amanhã (Museum of Tomorrow), as the main examples. A retrospective of the political life of the city, including the one of its municipal administrations, builds the idea that the instrumentalization of art and its use as a tool to "revitalize" areas of the city is part of an old project which was waiting for the right moment to be put into practice: the hosting of mega events. On the other hand, small autonomous cultural collectives have emerged in the region during this process and inserted new concepts and meanings for the use of art into the discussion, which resulted in a more complex discussion around the port area and its agents. Finally, by analyzing the recent political scenario of the city, it was possible to perceive the offensive posture toward cultural institutions resulting from conservative political perspectives, which again redefines the use of art and culture in the city.

We undertook a detailed ethnographic study of the dance creation process of a noted choreographer and his distinguished troupe. All choreographer dancer interactions were videoed, the choreographer and dancers were interviewed extensively each day, as well as other observations and tests performed. The choreographer used three main methods to produce high quality and novel content: showing, making-on, and tasking. We present, analyze and evaluate these methods, and show how these approaches allow the choreographer to increase the creative output of the dancers and him. His methods, although designed for dance, apply more generally to other creative endeavors, especially where brainstorming is involved, and where the creative process is distributed over many individuals. His approach is also a case study in multi-modal direction, owing to the range of mechanisms he uses to communicate and direct.

Live, travel, adventure, bless, and don't be sorry. There was nowhere to go but everywhere, so just keep on rolling under the stars - Jack Kerouac.

This book is the result of the desire to explore the American underground within their expressions of popular culture, whether by musical level or by literary level, both in terms of lifestyle and subcultures / countercultures. It lies in a deep desire for exploration and knowledge of the universe by reading the iconic book On the Road  by Jack Kerouac. Over the past few years, we have been particularly concerned about the underground and the underground music scenes. The underground music scenes have since long been associated with strong DIY cultural practices (do-it-yourself). Consequently, maintaining a sociological reflection of registration, although we are open to all other social sciences, we intend to discuss the importance of underground artistic and musical practices in contemporary society, let it be for their volatility, or for its undeniable importance in urban youth culture. Urban musical cultures, in regard to the underground, are still considered illegitimate objects for analysis in connection with the contemporary social theory framing. However, these cultures play a central role in the functioning of the (post) music industry and in the emerging outlook on digital media. We also intend to clarify the musical scenes that cross contemporary cities, giving them rhythms, but also giving them specific forms of cultural identity and historical, social and artistic heritage.
The only truth is music. Happiness consists in realizing it is all a great strange dream. The best teacher is experience and not through someone's distorted point of view - Jack Kerouac.
So, we gathered in this book a series of texts that transport us to a reflection on this American underground and its inspiring potential on new sociological approaches in contemporaneity. Chapter 1, entitled "Between psychadelia and artistic transgression: vanguards, proto-punk and experimentation musical" by Paula Guerra, reflects the importance of the musical universe of American bands (Cramps, Velvet Underground, the Ramones, New York Dolls, Television, among others) from the 70s, in the affirmation of creative freedom, in proto-punk and territories as well as creative underground scenes. Chapter 2, entitled "Rock in a hard place" by Gina Arnold, takes us to a new reading in the 90's underground by transpositioning to a concert of the Ramones from that time and its links with the emerging grunge. Chapter 3, entitled "Minor Threat & 'Straight Edge’ “, by Ross Haenfler, explores and develops the experiences and ways of American straight edge hardcore life today, inspired by Minor Threat, transporting us to a reading as necessary as the current US counterculture manifestations. The remaining chapters equate the influence and importance of the American underground in the structuring of tastes, lifestyles and Portuguese music scenes through the Ramones and hardcore. Chapter 4 by Paula Guerra, addresses the representations of the Ramones and their significance next to a wide range of Portuguese punks "Let's take the Ramones! Preliminary data about the impact and influence of the Ramones in Portugal." Chapter 5, by Pedro Rios, deals with the appropriation of American hardcore in musical practices and manifestations in the universe of Portuguese punk in the early 2000s, and is entitled "Hardcore - Multiple levels". Chapter 6, entitled "'We are one voice'! A brief history of English hardcore and straight edge movement: protagonists, core values and DIY ethos ", by Ana Oliveira, considers some narratives of Portuguese hardcore straight edge participants, showing the influence of its principles and provisions. Finally, the chapter 7, entitled “Bibliographical catalogue” presents a selection of relevant bibliographical references for the social theory on underground.
Boys and girls in America have such a sad time together; sophistication demands that they submit to sex immediately without proper preliminary talk. Not courting talk — real straight talk about souls, for life is holy and every moment is precious (…) because he had no place he could stay in without getting tired of it and because there was nowhere to go but everywhere, keep rolling under the stars... - Jack Kerouac
It cannot be left unsaid that this book stems from the research project Keep It Simple, Make It Fast! (PTDC / CS-SOC / 118830/2010) based at the University of Porto and funded by the Science and Technology Foundation. Something no less important relates to the American underground that also has a concrete translation at the University of Porto’s library through an exhibition that take place between 13th July and 13th September 2015. However, this is also an invitation to visit the exhibition and the library’s wonderful collection related to this field. There are many acknowledgments to be made in regards of the realization of this book, but in order of keeping this accessible, we highlight our thanks to four of them: to João Emanuel Leite and Isabel Leite by the possibility of realization of dreams; to Gina Arnold and Ross Haenfler, for their generous and genial contribution to the quality of the discussion around the American underground.
The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved. (…) I just won't sleep," I decided. There were so many other interesting things to do - Jack Kerouac
http://ler.letras.up.pt/uploads/ficheiros/13445.pdf

Creativity is currently being redefined in more inclusive and complex ways. This article examines old and new ways of viewing creativity, focusing especially on how historically creativity has been considered a male preserve and the need for a more inclusive definition that includes areas such as “everyday creativity.” It places definitions of creativity in their social and historical context, showing how a society’s orientation to a partnership model or a dominator model affects what and who is considered creative. It proposes an un-gendered definition of creativity, highlights the need for this broader definition to meet the enormous contemporary challenges we face, and distinguishes between innovativeness and creativity.

What is it that people do with objects? And what is it that objects do to people? This chapter explores the dialectic between processes of objectification and subjectification, exploring how they intertwine through the manifold ways in which the description, refinement, punctuation and solidification of what a subject is are attached to a parallel process with regard to how things become objects.

This monograph carries out an in-depth investigation into compositional processes, shedding new light on the components and conditions that constitute artistic agency. Artistic agency relies on the interlocking of such activities that emerge from various propositional and non-propositional (experiential, corporeal, sensory) forms of knowledge - listening, feeling, imagining, trying out, reflecting, noting and correcting, which represents a small selection of the multifaceted composing activities. The book develops an understanding of artistic agency and mastery in its fundamentally social nature, through the important, though largely ignored output of creative compositional processes.

How can symbolic boundaries in cultural
consumption be simultaneously crossed
and maintained by those with high levels of
cultural capital engaging with low status
culture? We propose that irony, due to its
inherent ambiguity and detachment, is a
consumption style that allows its users to
simultaneously cross and uphold symbolic
boundaries. In this exploratory study, we
analyze nine in-depth interviews with karaoke
performers and link their way of participating
to differences in cultural capital.
While participants with low cultural capital
displayed a straightforward, high involvement
with their karaoke practices, the consumer
styles of participants with high cultural
capital were inclined to be both
‘secretly serious’ and ‘ironic’. Irony provides
a way to distinguish oneself in
today’s ambiguous cultural landscape,
where meanings of both class positions and
consumption patterns have become more
fluid. Indeed, irony allows distinction precisely
through ambiguity, which makes it a
potentially valuable attitude for contemporary
cultural elites.