Response To: The End of Popular Culture?
I grew up listening to three different types of music: rock (i.e. Journey), salsa (i.e. El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico), and classical. Listening to salsa music was a way of connecting to Puerto Rico while living in Seattle, WA—for both my parents and for their children. It is interesting then that a part of Puerto Rican, and Latin American, identity is a genre of music that has both European and African influences. It goes back to what Latin American identity actually is, and who owns it. Music—something that is considered an important part of any culture—has become widely distributed and consumed. It is identified with Latin America, but is listened to and danced to in Europe and North America by people who are not from Latin America. What is culture then if it can become so easily sold off? It must have been an important part of Latin American identity, especially for the Puerto Ricans and Cubans living in New York City, but now it is no longer just for these groups of people. Does i...