Nationalizing Blackness: Afrocubanismo and Artistic Revolution in Havana, 1920-1940

Pitt Latin American Studies

by Robin D. Moore

Nationalizing Blackness uses the music of the 1920s and 1930s to examine Cuban society as it begins to embrace Afrocuban culture.  Moore examines the public debate over “degenerate Africanisms” associated with comparas or carnival bands; similar controversies associated with  son music; the history of blackface theater shows; the rise of afrocubanismo in the context of anti-imperialist nationalism and revolution against Gerardo Machado; the history of cabaret rumba; an overview of poetry, painting, and music inspired by Afrocuban street culture; and reactions of the black Cuban middle classes to afrocubanismo .  He has collected numerous illustrations of early twentieth-century performers in Havana, many included in this book. Nationalizing Blackness represents one of the first politicized studies of twentieth-century culture in Cuba.  It demonstrates how music can function as the center of racial and cultural conflict during the formation of a national identity.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Music, Race

336 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1997

Reviews

[Isabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is written by a professor I had as an undergrad at UCSB. A well written book explaining how the music currently associated with Cuba was once considered low-class and indecent primarily because of it's African influence compared to the more "refined" European music.