Playful Protest: The Political Work of Joy in Latinx Media

Kristie Soares' book "Playful Protest" explores how Latinx creators resist the idea that joy only exists outside politics and activist struggle by composing versions of joy central to social and political struggle. She focuses on diasporic media such as music, public activist demonstrations, social media, sitcoms, and other areas of culture.

Format: Hardback
Length: 264 pages
Publication date: 03 October 2023
Publisher: University of Illinois Press

Pleasure-based politics in Puerto Rican and Cuban pop culture takes on a politicized form that extends beyond mere gratification, aiming to challenge prevailing norms related to gender, sexuality, race, and class. In her study, Kristie Soares delves into the diasporic media of Puerto Rico and Cuba to explore how music, public activist demonstrations, social media, sitcoms, and various cultural aspects resist the dominant narratives that associate Latinx joy with political docility and a lack of intelligence.

Soares' analysis is structured around chapters that examine diverse expressions of joy, including gozando in salsa music, precise joy among the New Young Lords Party, choteo in the comedy ¿Qué Pasa U.S.A.?, azúcar in the life and death of Celia Cruz, dale as Pitbulls signature affect, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's use of silliness to address political violence.

Daring and innovative, Playful Protest challenges the notion that joy can only exist outside the realm of politics and activist struggle. By highlighting the ways in which Latinx creators subvert these narratives, the book offers a fresh perspective on the role of pleasure in shaping social and political movements.

Weight: 578g
Dimension: 157 x 236 x 31 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780252045295