Brandon Carmona

Brandon Ponce Carmona holds a B.A. in Spanish & Portuguese from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. He is currently a Master’s student at the University of Georgia, with a focus on Brazilian Popular Culture, musical analysis and Portuguese language acquisition.

His research interests include the sociopolitical and cultural effects of Brazilian Funk (Funk Carioca) in Brazil, the modern expansion of the genre and lyrical analysis of Funk Carioca as a form of social empowerment. He is interested in the globalization of the genre as well as the social changes it has produced since the late 80’s to the present, the empowerment of marginalized communities through urban music, and the racial, class and gender identity patterns in Brazilian society and how that is reflected through music.

Prior to enrolling at the University of Georgia, Brandon has served as a Historical Translator at Emory University’s Department of History. He has also been an Administrative Assistant at Monsignor Donovan Catholic High School in Athens, GA. Currently, he serves as a Teaching Assistant of Portuguese in the Romance Languages Department.