Revolutionary songs in a gentrifying city: stylistic change and the economics of salvage in Southern Mexico

Green, A. (2018) Revolutionary songs in a gentrifying city: stylistic change and the economics of salvage in Southern Mexico. Popular Music, 37(3), pp. 351-370. (doi: 10.1017/S0261143018000429)

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Abstract

This article explores the case of a musician performing pro-Zapatista revolutionary songs in a restaurant in a city in southern Mexico which has undergone rapid gentrification since the turn of the century. It highlights the particular set of constraints on, and possibilities for, musical creativity that emerged in an urban setting in which space was increasingly ordered around the accumulation of rents. Exploring relationships between commercial strategy and musical detail, it examines tensions arising around the performance of a revolutionary body of song in such a setting. To conclude, and drawing on the recent work of Anna Tsing, it introduces the notion of musical ‘salvage’ to make sense of the relationship between protest and commerce. Recognizing the incompleteness of revolutionary songs’ translation into the rapidly gentrifying context of San Cristóbal, it is argued here, may help to underline performer agency and creativity.

Item Type:Articles
Additional Information:This research was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Green, Dr Andrew
Authors: Green, A.
College/School:College of Arts & Humanities > School of Culture and Creative Arts > Music
Journal Name:Popular Music
Publisher:Cambridge University Press
ISSN:0261-1430
ISSN (Online):1474-0095
Published Online:12 September 2018
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2018 Cambridge University Press
First Published:First published in Popular Music 37(3): 351-370
Publisher Policy:Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy

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