Abstract:
Some songs pertaining to the “música tropical” genre, or music exhibiting tropical rhythms from both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, feature Afro-mestizo protagonists in their lyrics. My study explores the imaginaries constructing the subjectivities of Afro-mestizo men and women and posits that these gender constructions are different between the two sexes. Men tend to be depicted more harshly than women. Both, however, are depicted in a stereotypical and racist manner. My study incorporates feminist and critical race theories as well as postcolonial theories in the analysis and hermeneutics of the representation of Afro-mestizos in the lyrics of these songs.