SPA 339 LATINX MUSIC AND IDENTITY

An examination of questions of race, class, and gender/sexuality in the development of Latinx identity through music.  Through the study of various genres with roots in the multiple heritages of U.S. Latinx people (U.S., African, Native American, Spanish), including salsa, bachata, merengue, reggaeton, hip hop, and rock, students will interrogate how music engages tensions around intersectional identity formation.  Some organizing questions for the course include:  How have Latinx people conserved and negotiated their blackness through music?  How do Latinx people negotiate race, class, and gender via music production and consumption?  How does music allow Latinx people to mark their presence in the U.S., amid white dominant culture?