Rock the Nation

Rock the Nation analyzes Latino/a identity through rock 'n' roll music and its deep Latin/o history. By linking rock music to Latinos and to music from Latin America, the author argues that Latin/o music, people, and culture have been central to the development of rock music as a major popular music form, in spite of North American racial logic that marginalizes Latino/as as outsiders, foreigners, and always exotic.
According to the author, the Latin/o Rock Diaspora illuminates complex identity issues and interesting paradoxes with regard to identity politics, such as nationalism. Latino/as use rock music for assimilation to mainstream North American culture, while in Latin America, rock music in Spanish is used to resist English and the hegemony of U.S. culture. Meanwhile, singing in English and adopting U.S. popular culture allows youth to resist the hegemonic nationalisms of their own countries. Thus, throughout the Americas, Latino/as utilize rock music for assimilation to mainstream national culture(s), for resistance to the hegemony of dominant culture(s), and for mediating the negotiation of Latino/a identities.

Roberto Avant-Mier is Associate Professor in the Department of Communication, University of Texas, El Paso. His research focuses on the discursive construction of Latino/a identity(ies) as well as cultural issues in popular music and other media. In addition to research on Latino/as and rock music (in various sub-genres), other forthcoming research focuses on rap music and world music.

Dedication
Foreword (by Oscar León Bernal)
Author's Note
Introduction: On Latinos/Hispanics in the United States
1. Heard It On The X: Border Radio as Public Discourse, the Latin/o Legacy in Popular Music, and the Roots of Multi-Cultural America
- Interludio 1o (First Interlude)
2. The Missing Links: Zoot Suits, Original "Chicanos," and Diasporic Latin/o Connections
- Interludio 2o (Second Interlude)
3. Latinos In The Garage: Latin/o Presence and Influence in Garage-Rock (and Other Rock and Pop Music)
- Interludio 3o (Third Interlude)
4. Las Ondas de José Augustin: The Birth of Rock in Mexico and the Latin/o Rock Diaspora (1970-1990)
- Interludio 4o (Fourth Interlude)
5. Transnational Punk(s): On the Transnational Character of the Latin/o Rock Diaspora
- Interludio 5o (Fifth Interlude)
Conclusion: The Latin/o Rock Diaspora and New Latinidades
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments