Decolonial Metal Music in Latin America

The book explores how heavy metal music in Latin America has been used to critically challenge the historical legacy of colonialism and its present-day manifestations. Through extensive ethnographic research, it documents how metal music listeners and musicians engage in 'extreme decolonial dialogues' to challenge past and ongoing forms of oppression. It represents a historical and sociological journey in Latin American heavy metal music through rich ethnographic engagements with performers, fans, and scholars of music. The book provides an exemplary and potentially iconic model of ethnomusicology and the anthropology of music, and will be of interest to academic readership from multiple disciplines, as well as to consumers of the metal musical genre.

Format: Hardback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 17 August 2021
Publisher: Intellect Books

The profound and enduring impacts of colonialism continue to be felt across Latin America, manifesting in various forms such as racism, political persecution, ethnic extermination, and extreme capitalism. In response to this legacy, a new book has emerged that delves into the powerful role of heavy metal music in the region as a means of critically challenging the historical legacy of colonialism and its contemporary manifestations.

Through extensive ethnographic research conducted in Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, Peru, Chile, and Argentina, Varas-Díaz explores how metal music listeners and musicians engage in "extreme decolonial dialogues" as a strategic tool to challenge past and ongoing forms of oppression. This groundbreaking work offers a fresh perspective on metal music, positioning it as a call for justice in Latin America.

In recent years, the field of heavy metal-related scholarship has made significant strides, with numerous books aimed at elucidating the origins, applications, and social meanings attributed to the music in diverse contexts. However, a notable gap exists in the literature, as Latin America has been largely overlooked as a region of study within this field.

"Decolonial Metal Music in Latin America" fills this void by presenting a comprehensive and historically contextualized exploration of Latin American heavy metal music. Through rich ethnographic engagements with performers, fans, and scholars of music, the book offers a profound and nuanced understanding of the region's heavy metal scene. Its central premise revolves around the dialogic relationship between deep histories of coloniality, systematic oppression, entrenched inequalities, and the expressive forms generated by "decolonial metal music."

Furthermore, the book serves as an exemplary and potentially iconic model of ethnomusicology and the anthropology of music. By drawing on theoretical frameworks developed in the Global North, it provides a unique lens through which to understand the region's particular history and experiences. This approach offers a more comprehensive understanding of the complexities and nuances of Latin American metal music and its role in shaping cultural identities and social movements.

In conclusion, "Decolonial Metal Music in Latin America" is a groundbreaking work that sheds light on the powerful role of heavy metal music in challenging the historical legacy of colonialism and its contemporary manifestations. Through extensive ethnographic research and a nuanced understanding of the region's cultural and social contexts, the book offers a valuable contribution to the field of music studies and anthropology. It provides a roadmap for future research and exploration of the ways in which music can be used as a tool for social change and empowerment in Latin America and beyond.

Weight: 664g
Dimension: 175 x 251 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781789383935
Edition number: New ed