Beginning of Part II: Whose America: Belonging and Exclusion. Pop Culture and Latino Representation.

20 Março 2019, 08:00 • Margarida Vale de Gato

Today’s class focused on popular culture and the place of Spanish in a US culture industry that tends to marginalize it. We began with contemporary essay on Latino pop music in the U.S., “A Conversation about ‘Despacito,’ Justin Bieber, and the Exploitation of Latinos in the Music Industry.” The essay treats the issue of Anglo appropriation of Latino musical styles in mainstream pop music, and the marginalization of Spanish in the U.S. music industry. Students also heard excerpts from a lecture by Ned Sublette, on the forgotten influence of Cuban music on U.S. rock and R&B. Then, we watched an episode of the sitcom I Love Lucy, “Ricky Loses His Accent,” which shows Ricky Ricardo triumphing over Lucy’s attempt to “smooth” out his accent and anglicize him.