Interview with Othon Fernando Jambeiro Barbosa

Abstract

This interview offers a behind-the-scenes look at the production of one of the first sociological studies on mass popular music conducted at the University of São Paulo. Produced during the harshest years of the dictatorship by a master’s student persecuted for his political activism, “Canção de massa: as condições da produção” remains to this day a major reference for studies in the field. In the conversation, Othon Jambeiro – now a full professor at the Federal University of Bahia – recounts how he was able to enroll in the master’s program in sociology, having escaped military persecution in Bahia, through the mediation of the then-rector of ufba, Roberto Santos; his reception in São Paulo amid the dismissal of professors; and the guidance he received from Ruy Coelho – who was later arrested – and Marialice Foracchi.