Judgments of value and the value of judgments: strategies of valuation in the practice of samba

Abstract

Every esthetic experience involves symbolic sharing of tastes and representations that are particularly visible in the construction of value judgments. In popular music, musical genres work as representations through which individuals and social groups develop quality criteria that begin to guide musical experiences and shape identities. This paper discusses strategies of valuation surrounding the practice of samba, particularly those that emerged in the 1990s, motivated by the success of “romantic pagode” groups. At that time, samba became divided into two categories, i.e., “root samba” and “pagode”, representing different and conflicting forms of attributing values and gaining esthetic and commercial legitimacy.