Shakira as the Idealized Transnational Citizen: A Case Study of Colombianidad in Transition

El Rock Star Perfecto? Theorizing Juanes and New Directions in Cross-Over Celebrity

“…Contextualizing this study within the literature on cross‐over celebrity and Latin American popular music cross‐overs (e.g., Beltrán, 2002; Cepeda, 2000, 2003; Dyer, 1986; Martínez, 2006; Molina Guzmán & Valdivia, 2004; Valdivia, 2000, 2005), the transnational feminist analytic allows me to consider the ways in which Juanes's many subject positions work with and against each other through media discourses. I consider the ways Juanes is represented in the press coverage of concerts, album reviews, philanthropic efforts, and activities, and how he represents himself in his Web site, songs, and press releases.…”

“…This process has been aided by cable and satellite television, which facilitates the transnational flow of cultural values, images, and discourses. The effect of these processes is the creation of a transnational Latin American culture, and the fostering of a “transnational imagined community” of U.S. Latina/os and Latin Americans for those with access to these technologies (Fox, 1996; Levine, 2001; Mato, 1997, cited in Cepeda, 2003, p. 214). Katynka Z.…”

“…Whereas previous cross‐over celebrities saw the specificity of their national origin elided, or in the case of U.S. Latina/os obscured, Shakira's cross‐over in the early 2000s embodied “ multiple citizenships and multiple identities.” Shakira's music and public persona “shape both in‐ and out‐group notions of what it means to be not only Latina but also colombiana ” (Cepeda, 2003, p. 213). The prevailing U.S. perception of Colombia is largely associated with the drug wars.…”

“…The prevailing U.S. perception of Colombia is largely associated with the drug wars. Guarnizo and Díaz (1999) have written about the resulting social stigma that compels many Colombians living within the United States to hide their national identity for fear of discrimination (cited in Cepeda, 2003). Shakira both transcends this stigma and provides audiences with another view of Colombian culture.…”

“…Shakira both transcends this stigma and provides audiences with another view of Colombian culture. “Highly transnationalized states have taken to cultivating these extra‐official, largely symbolic public figures in the hopes that individuals abroad develop and/or maintain their economic and social ties to the homeland (Cepeda, 2003, p. 227). To this end, Colombian President Álvaro Uribe has made very high‐profile appearances at Shakira's and Juanes's concerts both in the United States and Colombia.…”