In our early module on Spain, we learned how the Gitanos/Roma were a historically marginalized population. They, and their flamenco music, were initially characterized as vulgar or degenerate by elite or mainstream society before becoming widely popular, eventually serving as celebrated musical expressions of national identity. The same will be true when we study the influence of African Americans in Appalachia and New Orleans, and this same process is repeated in many countries in the Americas: genres like Brazilian samba, Argentinean tango, American jazz, and many others were despised because of their low-class and/or ethnic origins, later to become proud symbols of national culture. Interestingly, while these marginalized people created music that influenced mainstream national or popular culture, these same people usually remained marginalized in terms of politics, economics, and civil rights. This seemingly contradictory phenomenon— people creating national art that is valued while not being completely valued as people/citizens—suggests several questions.
Questions:
How is it possible to dislike or despise a group of people while simultaneously loving, consuming, even constructing one’s own identity (personal or national) out of that same people’s art (specifically, their music)? How do you think this happens, and why? What is the logic or rationalization involved in devaluing and discriminating against certain people, even actively pursuing policies that marginalize and harm these people while simultaneously enjoying their music (or dance, art, food, etc.)? Is there a worldview, belief, or ideology that enabled these attitudes? Is this an inevitable part of the us/them “tribalism” of humanity, or do expressions like music help to break down the tribalism by building bridges between peoples? Do stereotypes about the performance capabilities of certain culture groups figure in, and if so, how? If the art/music is valued, doesn’t it follow that the people who create the art should be valued too? Or do musical creations become free from the identity of the creators, making a music/creator disconnect possible? Is music (and dance) by nature an activity of little respect or consequence, something the mainstream or elite portion of society deems suitable for creation by the lower classes? In the past or today, have media technologies contributed to either breaking down or supporting the consumption + marginalization process?
Sample Solution
