The book Black Orpheus and the Globalization of Afro-Brazilian Culture by Darién John Davis, the 2021 Fulbright/Iméra Chair in Migration Studies, was published on December 9th, 2025 by Rutgers University Press.
A culmination of his residency at Iméra
The production of this book was made possible by a project led by Darién during his residency at Iméra in 2021. He gives more details about the origins of the project:
It is not easy to succinctly describe my experience in Marseille as the Fulbright Iméra Chair in Migration Studies during COVID in a few lines. Early on, alternating feelings of elation and disquiet often presented themselves in curious ways as I grappled with the new cultural and public health landscape. I was glad to be able to rely on the Fulbright Commission and the staff at Iméra. Despite the restrictions — or perhaps because of them —I was able to build bonds with residents who wanted to make connections in uncertain times. As a result, I have gained lifelong friends and colleagues in France who continue to engage me in dialogue about French culture, the African diaspora, and global migrations. A full-circle moment occurred in August 2025, when I participated in an international conference on transnational connections between Brazil and France alongside scholars from both countries, many of whom I met in France during my Fulbright
Presentation of the book
“Black Orpheus” and the Globalization of Afro-Brazilian Culture is the first historical study in English to examine the development, production, and reception of the 1958 film Black Orpheus and its legacy in the 1960s and 1970s. It focuses on the making of the film and the trajectories of the major actors and musicians who helped construct an image of Black Brazil and provides an analysis of the globalization of Afro-Brazilian images and music in France and the United States in the wake of the movie’s success. Using archival sources, interviews, and the secondary literature from France, Brazil, and the United States, this book reveals information about the cultural histories of all three countries and gives readers new insight into the trajectories of diverse actors such as Breno Mello, Marpessa Dawn, and Léa Garcia and performers such as Agostinho dos Santos, Baden Powell, and Maria D’Apparecida.
About the author
Darién J. Davis is Professor and Chair of the Department of African Studies at Rutgers University-Newark. He teaches historical and multidisciplinary courses on Latin America and the Caribbean, and courses in African Studies with specializations in the history of migration and diaspora in the Atlantic world.
