Resumo

SAID BARAHONA, Jorge  e  DIAZ ARAYA, Alberto. From the Sound of Euphoria to the Silence of the Simulacrum: Instrumentalization of the Carnival in the North of Chile (1929-1939). Aisthesis [online]. 2011, n.50, pp. 54-71. ISSN 0718-7181.  doi: 10.4067/S0718-71812011000200003.

The main objective of the following article is to analyze the implications inferred in the ritual practice of the carnival in a period of economic, social and political crisis (1929-1940). Considering the contraposition between the irrationality of popular culture and the rationality of the culture of the free market, in this decade the popular ritual of carnival will be materialized as an expression of sarcastic and mocking humor, a climax of euphoria that has caused symbolic attacks against both the authority and idols. This makes the carnival a dangerous occurrence that must be kept under surveillance, with rules and disciplines. In relation to the above, this research will analyze the carnival as an instrument of power, instrumentalized like a simulacrum.

Palavras-chave : Carnival; popular rites; crisis; Tarapacá.