Street Chants and Violins, Politics and Race in Venezuela

T.M. Scruggs 

Ethnomusicologist, Faculty, University of Iowa 

Recent protests in the more wealthy parts of several cities in Venezuela reveal that an intertwined class and racial divide remains in that country. Mr. Scruggs looks at how music and street chants can help reveal the ethnic and class composition of the mass movement that first elected Hugo Chávez president in 1998. This overview critically considers to what extent the musical and social landscape in Venezuela has changed from government and community initiatives. Mr. Scruggs taught at the Universidad de los Andes in Mérida, Venezuela in 2005–06, on a Fulbright grant. His primary research focus is on the use of music to construct social identity in the Americas. 

Please note: Due to technical problems, you may need to turn up the sound starting at the 11:12 mark in the presentation. 

Recorded: March 27, 2014