[Pop apocalypse: representations of the end of the world in Brazilian songs from the 1980s].

Abstract

This study utilized socio-historical methodology to investigate the relationship between cultural production and views on science and technology in the 1980s by analyzing a repertoire of songs released during this period containing apocalyptic themes due to the context of the Cold War and environmental crises. This exploration is based on Koselleck's notions of the horizon of expectations and on Arantes' concept of decreasing expectations. The songs centered around nuclear power and the environment. We observed that these songs from the 1980s represent a shift in national expectations about the future, exhibiting fears related to nuclear and environmental disasters.