In 2018, the Popular Music Section of the Society for Ethnomusicology organized a roundtable that explored the development of popular music scholarship, not only within ethnomusicology but also in relation to the larger field of popular music studies. This special section, which includes transcriptions of each of the panelists’ spoken remarks, highlights reflections from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds (including folklore and ethnomusicology, anthropology, American studies and history, and popular culture studies) and experiences (both within academia and in the public sector). The roundtable participants recognize the value and impact of scholarship on popular music and culture, for it contributes to our understanding of the powerful and meaningful ways in which people engage aesthetically with the world around them. By reflecting on the past and present context of popular music scholarship, the panelists offer suggestions for the future growth of the field, underscoring its role in challenging elitist and ethnocentric biases, contesting the institutional marginalization and dismissal of popular culture, fostering interdisciplinary conversations, and engaging in activist scholarship that exposes, critiques and helps to change structural inequities.
The contemporary rockabilly subculture is often thought to primarily reflect, embody, and celebrate the white Southern American culture that gave rise to the music and fashion in the 1950s. Accordingly, some have suggested that the active participation of Latinxs seems perplexing. This article draws on ten years of ethnographic research to explore why Latinxs do not view their enthusiasm for Southern-born rockabilly music and culture as an incongruity. This essay first considers why rockabilly resonates with Latinx participants, underscoring and documenting its relevance across several generations, then examines how Latinxs have uniquely engaged with and customized the subculture in ways that reflect their bicultural heritage and experiences. This work draws ethnomusicological attention to the reasons Latinxs have identified with rockabilly culture and the ways they have contributed to it, contesting assumptions of the characteristic “whiteness” of this subculture. The documentation, acceptance, and acknowledgment of Latinx involvement in rockabilly is not without political significance, particularly given the subculture's historical incorporation of Confederate imagery. The growth, strength, and recognition of Latinx rockabilly represent a meaningful rewriting of the genre's racial politics, highlighting the historical involvement of non-Anglos in the scene and encouraging diverse participation today.
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