Modernisms, social pact, and the aesthetics of irreconciliation in the work of Jorge Ben Jor

Abstract

This article analyzes the work of Jorge Ben Jor as a counterpoint to the conciliatory aesthetics predominant in the Brazilian popular songbook of the 20th century. It argues that late modernisms, represented by Bossa Nova and Tropicalismo, consolidated an aesthetic grammar tied to the neutralization of racial and cultural tensions in favor of an idealized national identity. In contrast, Jorge Ben Jor breaks with this logic by bringing Afro-diasporic protagonism to the forefront of his compositions, placing conflict at the center of his aesthetic proposal. The article refers to songs such as Mas que Nada and Zumbi as examples of this inflection, although without engaging in in-depth analyses of each. Through comparisons with paradigmatic works from Bossa Nova and Tropicalismo, the article examines how his music repositions Brazilian popular song as a space of resistance and expanded political imagination. Methodologically, it adopts a historical-cultural approach and aesthetic analysis of lyrics and performances, situating Jorge Ben Jor’s work within the political and cultural dynamics of 20th-century Brazil. The conclusion is that his music inaugurates what we term the Aesthetics of Irreconciliation, offering an alternative to the normative grammars of the Brazilian songbook and broadening the cultural and political horizons of Brazilian popular music.