Rock the Nation: Latin/o Identities and the Latin Rock Diaspora

by Roberto Avant-Mier

Rock the Nation analyzes Latino/a identity through rock 'n' roll music and its deep Latin/o history. By linking rock music to Latinos and to music from Latin America, the author argues that Latin/o music, people, and culture have been central to the development of rock music as a major popular music form, in spite of North American racial logic that marginalizes Latino/as as outsiders, foreigners, and always exotic.
According to the author, the Latin/o Rock Diaspora illuminates complex identity issues and interesting paradoxes with regard to identity politics, such as nationalism. Latino/as use rock music for assimilation to mainstream North American culture, while in Latin America, rock music in Spanish is used to resist English and the hegemony of U.S. culture. Meanwhile, singing in English and adopting U.S. popular culture allows youth to resist the hegemonic nationalisms of their own countries. Thus, throughout the Americas, Latino/as utilize rock music for assimilation to mainstream national culture(s), for resistance to the hegemony of dominant culture(s), and for mediating the negotiation of Latino/a identities.

240 pages, Paperback

First published May 6, 2010

Reviews

[Marie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought this book would be more like an anthology of latin rock music and the effect on the latin diaspora rather than a really long sometimes painful college thesis. There was definitely some interesting bits of information but I found myself skimming thought some part because, well, they were pretty uninteresting. I think the book would have been better if he focused more on contemporary rock music since the book was published in 2010 and ALOT has happened in the latin rock music scene in the last 20 years.