Julie A. Sellers

Merengue and Dominican Identity

Music as National Unifier

• Broschiertes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

The merengue is internationally recognized as the Dominican Republic's national dance. It is an integral and unifying element of Dominican identity both within that nation and among emigrants abroad. Although Dominicans often make the claim that merengue has always been in their blood, the dance is relatively young, and its popularity among Dominicans of all social classes and ages is an even more recent occurrence. This book presents three convincing arguments about the merengue's longevity as a unifying symbol of Dominican identity: Dominican identity and the merengue have necessarily been extremely fluid in order to encompass the different cultural and ethnic groups present; historically, the merengue has become a stronger identity symbol when the nation is or is perceived to be threatened from outside; and the white, Catholic, Hispanic Dominican has long been held as the ""true"" Dominican identity, causing the dance to become progressively ""whitened"" in terms of performers and style to reflect this notion and gain wider appeal at home and abroad. A map of the Dominican Republic, related photographs of key figures of Dominican history and merengue artists across the decades, and a complete bibliography are included.

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Produktdetails

• Verlag: McFarland
• Seitenzahl: 240
• Erscheinungstermin: 1. Oktober 2004
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 229mm x 152mm x 14mm
• Gewicht: 396g
• ISBN-13: 9780786418152
• ISBN-10: 078641815X
• Artikelnr.: 13913190

Autorenporträt

Julie A. Sellers is a Spanish professor at Benedictine College, and a Federally Certified Court Interpreter. She lives in Atchison, Kansas.

Inhaltsangabe

Table of Contents
Acknowledgments     
Foreword: Stephen C. Ropp     
Introduction: "In Our Blood"     
1. Colonial Legacy     
2. Dominican Identity and the Haitian Other     
3. Fragmentation, Personalism, Violence and Economic Ruin: The Period of
the Great Caudillos     
4. Merengue's First Steps: 1844-1916     
5. U.S. Occupation and Dominican Nationalism     
6. In Step: Merengue in the Era of Trujillo     
7. Post-Trujillo Politics: Continuity and Change     
8. Post-Trujillo Merengue: Tradition, Innovative Freedom and Ethnic
Questioning     
9. Merengue and Transnational Identities     
10. Caribbean Comparisons     
Conclusions: "Sólo se siente!"     
Bibliography     
Index