Diasporic and Transnational Internationalization: The Case of Brazilian Martial Arts

Brazilian diasporas overseas has received little academic interest. Nevertheless, estimates suggest that around three million Brazilians currently live in other countries. The present study looks at a specific type of diaspora: small entrepreneurs from the Brazilian martial arts sector. The study adopts the case study method of research. The unit of analysis is comprised by the martial arts (capoeira and Brazilian jiu-jitsu). Data analysis used secondary and primary data from interviews. Cross-case analysis searched for similarities and differences in the internationalization processes of the two martial arts, using several analytical devices, such as chronologies, timelines, matrices, and pattern matching analysis. Evidences suggest that the concept of diasporic internationalization fits better capoeira than Brazilian jiu-jitsu. However, Brazilian jiu-jitsu shows an initial combination of diasporic and transnational characteristics, but more recently became fully transnational. Brazilian jiu-jitsu became a truly global business, formally organized and professionally managed. Capoeira, however, is still seen as non-commercial and as the preservation and practice of an ancient art. Such ethos, combined with the origin of its members in lower economic classes and their restricted access to capital turns internationalization into an often less profitable activity.

海外巴西侨民群体长期以来鲜有学术关注。尽管如此，现有估算显示，当前全球范围内约有300万巴西侨民定居海外。本研究聚焦于一类特殊的侨民群体：来自巴西武术行业的小型创业者。本研究采用案例研究法作为研究方法，分析单元涵盖两种武术形式：卡波耶拉（capoeira）与巴西柔术（Brazilian jiu-jitsu）。数据分析采用访谈获取的一手与二手数据，跨案例分析通过时间序列、时间轴、矩阵及模式匹配分析等多种分析工具，对比两种武术国际化进程中的共性与差异。研究证据表明，侨民国际化（diasporic internationalization）这一概念更契合卡波耶拉的国际化路径，而非巴西柔术。不过，巴西柔术最初兼具侨民化与跨国化双重特征，近年来则完全转向跨国化发展。巴西柔术已发展为真正意义上的全球性产业，具备规范化的组织架构与专业化的运营管理模式。反观卡波耶拉，其仍被视作非商业性的古老艺术传承与实践活动。此种理念，加之其从业者多出身于经济底层阶层且融资渠道受限，使得卡波耶拉的国际化进程往往盈利能力有限。