DANCE, RITUAL AND CULTURAL IDENTITY Diasporic Transformation of African Movement Motifs and Their Universal Dimensions An Anthropological and Psychoanalytic Study

Abstract

This study examines dance not merely as an aesthetic activity but as a multilayered form of human production encompassing economic, cultural, psychological and semiotic dimensions. The central argument suggests that African-specific movement patterns, particularly the principles of polycentrism and polyrhythm, can be traced across numerous dance forms regardless of their geographic or cultural origins. This observation points to a shared anthropological foundation that enables dance to be understood as a universal cultural phenomenon. Focusing on Capoeira, the study analyses this movement heritage through psychoanalytic, anthropological and semiotic perspectives. Freud’s theory of sublimation is employed to explain how ritual practices survive by transforming under conditions of cultural oppression. In addition, cross-cultural ritual similarities are discussed through the symbolism of fire in Mesopotamian civilisations. The study concludes that dance should be considered not only as an artistic practice but also as a carrier of cultural memory, ritual continuity, collective solidarity and identity formation.