Join the Black Cultural Center as we journey to Bahia, Brazil, home to one of the largest African-descended populations outside of Africa, where heritage shapes everything from music and dance to religion, cuisine, and language. Building on our Portugal program, this trip explores how African, Indigenous, and Portuguese influences formed Afro-Brazilian identity, supported by our established local partnerships from a previous Brazil program.
Bahia, Brazil is a location rich in Afro-Brazilian history and culture. It is home to one of the largest populations of African descent outside of Africa, and this heritage has shaped a vibrant arts and cultural scene found throughout the region, from music and dance to religion, cuisine, and language.
This program builds on our previous study abroad experience in Portugal, where students explored Portuguese history and colonial legacy. A significant portion of that history is deeply connected to Brazil, given the two countries' shared colonial past. Bahia offers a natural extension of that learning: students will examine the African roots of the Lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) world, tracing how African, Indigenous, and Portuguese influences converged to shape Afro-Brazilian identity and culture today. We have also previously hosted a successful study abroad program in Brazil, giving our institution established local partnerships and logistical experience to support this trip.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this program, students will be able to:
Analyze the historical roots of Afro-Brazilian culture and its lasting influence on Bahia's social, religious, and cultural landscape.
Compare and contrast Portuguese colonial influence in Brazil with that studied in the previous Portugal program, identifying shared and distinct historical trajectories.
Examine expressions of Afro-Brazilian identity through art, music, dance (e.g., capoeira), and religious practice (e.g., Candomblé).
Evaluate the role of Bahia as a center of African diasporic culture and its significance within the broader Lusophone and Atlantic world.
Develop cross-cultural communication skills through direct engagement with local communities, artists, and cultural institutions in Bahia.
Reflect critically on the connections between colonialism, cultural resilience, and contemporary identity in the African diaspora.