Sounding Indigenous: Authenticity in Bolivian Music Performance

Rating:
Summary: The Search for Authenticity
Review: We live in an age of ever increasing globalism. People and societies living on the margins are rapidly being drawn into the world economy. As this process speeds on, these same people are taking a step back and wondering what is it that makes us unique? And in turn, who and what is truly "authentic".

Michelle Bigenho's book looks at these important questions within the context of Bolivian musical performance. As a participant observer, Bigenho joins and chronicles the experiences of three groups of musicians.

The first group is made up of professional musicians/intellectuals whose performance repertoire includes mestizo criollo music from the era of the Chaco War. This group explores the question of what it means to be a Bolivian by re-discovering music of the traumatic Chaco War. This was the key event that helped develop the sense of Bolivia as a nation state. This group helps expand the idea of what is "authentic".

The second case she describes is of an indigenous community that due to the migration of young people fears that it is losing its traditional culture. This community lives with the sense that they are losing their "authenticity". Bigenho examines this fear through the lense of their musical performances.

Bigenho contrasts this feeling of loss with another nearby community that is suffering the same demographic and cultural pressures. However, due to frequent contacts with anthropologists and NGO's, this community is secure in its identity. Their belief in their own authenticity is reflected in the music.

This book is interesting because of its many insights into Bolivian Music and its role in forming and defining a National Identity. However, what makes this an important book is that it addresses the subtle nuances of "authenticity" in this age of rapid globalization.

Rating:
Summary: The Search for Authenticity
Review: We live in an age of ever increasing globalism. People and societies living on the margins are rapidly being drawn into the world economy. As this process speeds on, these same people are taking a step back and wondering what is it that makes us unique? And in turn, who and what is truly "authentic".

Michelle Bigenho's book looks at these important questions within the context of Bolivian musical performance. As a participant observer, Bigenho joins and chronicles the experiences of three groups of musicians.

The first group is made up of professional musicians/intellectuals whose performance repertoire includes mestizo criollo music from the era of the Chaco War. This group explores the question of what it means to be a Bolivian by re-discovering music of the traumatic Chaco War. This was the key event that helped develop the sense of Bolivia as a nation state. This group helps expand the idea of what is "authentic".

The second case she describes is of an indigenous community that due to the migration of young people fears that it is losing its traditional culture. This community lives with the sense that they are losing their "authenticity". Bigenho examines this fear through the lense of their musical performances.

Bigenho contrasts this feeling of loss with another nearby community that is suffering the same demographic and cultural pressures. However, due to frequent contacts with anthropologists and NGO's, this community is secure in its identity. Their belief in their own authenticity is reflected in the music.

This book is interesting because of its many insights into Bolivian Music and its role in forming and defining a National Identity. However, what makes this an important book is that it addresses the subtle nuances of "authenticity" in this age of rapid globalization.