The Construction of Latin American Musical Identity in Melbourne

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the theory of Latinamericanism, and the history of Latin-American music in Melbourne. It examines the promotional material used by Clave Contra Clave (CCC) during three consecutive years-2011, 2012 and 2013-with the aim of exploring the rhetoric employed and the transition towards US Latino culture observable in that period of time. The chapter discusses a few elements in the 2011-13 competitions’ discursive dynamics that operate as a reinforcement of Western discourse on Latin-American culture. The term Latinamericanism is an appropriate way to characterize the discursive formation created by the West to represent, stereotype and fantasize about Latin America, and it..