La Hora de la Salsa
Nicolás Maduro and the Political Dimensions of Salsa in Venezuela
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3331987 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Sean Bellaviti (York University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 53 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 373-396 |
| Publication date | 2021-05-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Latin American Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-216X • E-ISSN: 1469-767X |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0022216x21000237 |
| OpenAlex | W3136119911 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 8 |
In this article I examine how, during a period of extreme social unrest, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro took up the role of a salsa radio deejay as a show of confidence in his hold on political power and of his solidarity with ordinary Venezuelans. I argue that this all but unprecedented and, for many, controversial course of action by a sitting president provides us with an unusual opportunity to analyse Venezuela's long-standing political crisis. In particular, I highlight how Maduro harnessed salsa's long association with poor Latin Americans, its connection to Venezuela and its pleasurable character to bolster his socialist credentials, and I show how this strategy unleashed a public exchange of criticisms with one legendary salsero (salsa musician), Rubén Blades. By exploring the way music intersects with politics, I show how popular culture is neither ancillary to nor derivative of the country's ever-deepening strife but, rather, constitutive of it
Art · Art history · Humanities · Latin Americans · Performance art · Political science · Politics · Power (physics) · SALSA · Sociology · Solidarity · Law · Music History and Culture · Politics and Society in Latin America · Populism, Right-Wing Movements
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |