Idiosyncrasies in rabeca making in Pernambuco: The case of Airon Galindo

The aim of this article is to conduct a sociological and organological study of the artisanal practices of the rabeca builder Airon Galindo of Caruaru, Pernambuco (Brazil). Starting from an interview with Galindo, aspects related to the making of his rabecas−built from discarded wooden crates of imported equipment−are analyzed based on a sociology of social practices, particularly the concepts of tacit and practical knowledge and knowledge of the body (Theodore Schatzki, Richard Sennett and Pierre Bourdieu). The discussion is complemented with a description of Galindo’s building process. Due to Galindo’s tendency to change the model of his instruments from time to time, only a general description of their structure is provided. Nonetheless, we present a detailed organological analysis of one of his instruments that allows us to document the specific characteristics of this particular instrument while revealing the idiosyncrasies of its maker and their impact on the instrument’s functionality. It is hoped that the knowledge gained from this analysis will serve as a reference for the study of instruments of other makers and contribute to the building of a comprehensive account of the rabeca in Pernambuco.