Rocking the Boat: Migration and Race in Contemporary Spanish Music (Toronto Iberic)

"Silvia Bermúdez's fascinating study reveals how Spanish popular music, produced between 1980 and 2013, was the first cultural site to engage in critical debate about ethnicity and race in relation to the immigration patterns that have been changing the social landscape of Spanish society since the late 1970s. In 'Rocking the boat,' Bermúdez examines the lyrics of songs by both renowned and up and coming artists to illuminate how these new migrants challenged Spain's notions of homogeneity, boundaries, accommodation, and incorporation. Berm udez observes that immigration has had such a significant influence on Spanish society that the tattered boats, seen to this day on the shores of Spain and throughout the Mediterranean Sea, have become inverted emblems of the ships that were once symbols of great power and economic development. Rocking the boat is a nuanced account of how popular urban music shaped the discourse on immigration, transnational migrants, and racialization in Spain's new social landscape." -- Provided by publisher "Silvia Bermúdez's fascinating study reveals how Spanish popular music, produced between 1980 and 2013, was the first cultural site to engage in critical debate about ethnicity and race in relation to the immigration patterns that have been changing the social landscape of Spanish society since the late 1970s. In 'Rocking the boat,' Bermúdez examines the lyrics of songs by both renowned and up and coming artists to illuminate how these new migrants challenged Spain's notions of homogeneity, boundaries, accommodation, and incorporation. Berm udez observes that immigration has had such a significant influence on Spanish society that the tattered boats, seen to this day on the shores of Spain and throughout the Mediterranean Sea, have become inverted emblems of the ships that were once symbols of great power and economic development. Rocking the boat is a nuanced account of how popular urban music shaped the discourse on immigration, transnational migrants, and racialization in Spain's new social landscape." -- Provided by publisher "Silvia Bermúdez's fascinating study reveals how Spanish popular music, produced between 1980 and 2013, was the first cultural site to engage in critical debate about ethnicity and race in relation to the immigration patterns that have been changing the social landscape of Spanish society since the late 1970s. In Rocking the boat, Bermúdez examines the lyrics of songs by both renowned and up and coming artists to illuminate how these new migrants challenged Spain's notions of homogeneity, boundaries, accommodation, and incorporation. Bermúdez observes that immigration has had such a significant influence on Spanish society that the tattered boats, seen to this day on the shores of Spain and throughout the Mediterranean Sea, have become inverted emblems of the ships that were once symbols of great power and economic development. Rocking the boat is a nuanced account of how popular urban music shaped the discourse on immigration, transnational migrants, and racialization in Spain's new social landscape."-- Provided by publisher Cover......Page 1 Title page......Page 4 Copyright page......Page 5 Contents......Page 8 List of Illustrations......Page 10 Acknowledgments......Page 12 Permissions......Page 14 Introduction......Page 18 1 The Roaring 1980s: From La Movida to Racial Naming, Slavery, and Muslims in the Catalan Maresme......Page 41 2 The 1990s, Take One: Fortress Europe, Racism, Apologies, and Contestation......Page 79 3 The 1990s, Take Two: The Racial Profiling of Black and Maghrebi Migrant Subjects......Page 114 4 Twenty-First Century Musical Landscapes in Spain: From Ska and Música mestiza to Singing, Chilling, and Rapping against Racism......Page 137 Conclusion......Page 159 Notes......Page 164 Bibliography......Page 176 Index......Page 192