Customer Reviews

Musical Migrations: Transnationalism and Cultural Hybridity in Latin/o America, Volume I

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I am using this book as one of four textbooks in an Ethnomusicology in Latin America course I am teaching in Spring 2008. I found that the introduction was enough to convince me the book has significant value in today's arguments over which country "owns" the "rights" to which style of music, such as the great Salsa Debate between Cuba and Puerto Rico. In Chapter 2 the author of the article looks at Cuban culture in the post-revolutionary period and the differences between music in Cuba, and the music of the Miami exile community. There are important differences and the political messages are boiled down, but I could not help but notice a slight "whitewashing" approach to the Afro-Cuban identity and cultural contributions. Chapter 3 examines the influences of Puerto Rican Salsa on Venezuelan gives compelling evidence of which musicians in various genres influenced eachother, and concludes that while Cuba tends to dominate cultural influence, parallel traditions also need to be considered. Chapter 4 examines the African linguistic contributions to the Caribbean and African Diaspora, a work that owes much to the pioneering style of Robert Farris Thompson. The author takes the reader to Paris, France and reveals how cultural attitudes can sometimes mar legitimate contributions made by ethnic minorities. Other articles throughout the book study rock and roll influences and also the history of mariachi music. Overall this is an important, modern contribution to the growing bofy of work in Latin American musical studies. At times the technical music terminology can
be confusing if the reader is not well-versed in music theory, but overall this is a significant contribution suitable for upper level undergraduate and graduate courses alike. While it is definately not "light" reading, it is highly informative and presents many new views to old themes. I am curious to see what Volume 2 has in store if or when it is published.