The notion of globalization and development in the changing world has greatly affected the concept of cultural identity in specific areas in the world. the changes brought about by the imminent internationalization processes in the industrial sector inevitably makes the connection of every culture in every state much closer as it was centuries ago. To these end, there is a phenomenon wherein there may well be confusion brewing on the part of the younger generation on their actual culture since they are subjected to a more global kind of situation. This set of circumstances is apparent in the culture of those dwelling in countries like Mexico and Puerto Rico. The said assertion is recognizable in their noticeable developments in their culture, specifically their music. This study intends to look at the issues of migration and borderlands as reflected in the musical styles coming from Mexico and Puerto Rico. To this context, the discussions will firmly deal with the effect of globalization and its subsequent effects such as migration and the creation of global culture in the cultural identity present in these countries.
I. Culture
In attempting to discuss what has been indicated above, it is important to note on the concept of culture in general. This is important considering the fact the basic foundation of the arguments presented above are all anchored on culture and its how people with its adaptation to change. Ferguson and Gupta (1997, 1) took note on their work that the concept of culture normally generates a commonly accepted fact that the world is composed of a “diversity of separate societies” which entails basic human differences. This “mosaic” characteristic of the world is represented by this concept. For every country or state, there exists a kind of culture distinctive of that country or state. Though it is often believed that the concept of culture consists of a collection of norms, traditions, and other way of life distinct to a group of homogenous individuals, there have constantly been other representations of culture as of today. And as Kapferer (2000, 174) noted, the exact definition of culture is practically “impossible to define.” This is because the said concept is exposed to different contexts and exists in a subjective category. Different interpretations from different academics are based on several different observations made. To a certain degree, an exact definition of what culture really is may well be considered a myth. This is considering the absence of any form of concrete representation that will establish a certain collection of norms or customs to be considered as an exact culture. Along with that argument comes along the idea that culture does change eventually as time passes.
This change may well be charged to the emergence of globalization and the global community. Ferguson and Gupta (1997, 3) stated that there is a seemingly “deteritoriallization” of the compote of culture and cultural differences as interstate movement such as migration and movement of the industrial sectors comes about. Moreover, issues on identity and difference are now considered “spatialized” in more contemporary means. And these are attributable to the consequences provided by a fast paced change in the “global cultural ecumene.” Based on these arguments, the changing world has also subjected the culture of every state to change and adapt to the demands of the changing context of the modern era. Thus, it comes to no surprise that cultures change to some level that would be able to cater to these demands on them. To illustrate, those who have migrated the United States are required to acquire dual language proficiencies. Though the retention of the basic culture of speaking may well be preserved in the older generations, the offspring of these first generation migrants born into the American milieu would have this sense of identity crisis at a certain point, culturally speaking. Though this might not be constantly true, this does happen to some of the migrants to certain society, particularly if the culture wherein that society is considerably different from the culture that these migrants initially possess. Additional discussions on the issues on migration will be presented at the subsequent portion of this paper.
To this end, we have seen the emergence of globalization as a determinant of change in a culture of a particular group. The demands placed on such groups entail these changes in order to adapt and subsequently carry on their course of self-preservation. Thus, culture is not exactly a constant in every society. It does change in due course and when it is deemed necessary by those who actually practice these collections of norms, traditions, and other way of life. Factors such as migration and other effects of globalization may well be considered underlying factors for such changes. And in such instances, the people are subject to what Ferguson and Gupta (1997, 3) coined as the “negotiation of culture.” It is the people who decide and compromise among themselves what part of their culture to keep and what part of their culture they can improvise and serve as a competitive tool for this global era.
II. Migration
International migration appears to be a considerable phenomenon in the contemporary study of culture. According to the work of Choucri (2002, 97) the concept of migration is characterized as the “movement of people” through the boundaries delineated by nations. There are several reasons why people have this drive to change locations despite of factors such as culture and attachment to their place. According to Liao (2001, 435) a major driver for migration is the quality of life of the migrants. The absence of opportunities for these people to develop financially and socially may contribute to this end. Moreover, the pitiable services provided by their government may similarly take a huge bulk of the reason why they want to migrate. This lack of satisfaction among individuals of a certain culture drives them to search for greener pastures, which they particularly find in places aside from their own country. On a more technical level, the issue of migration still continues to this day and theories are similarly made to explain this phenomenon. Among these theories includes the social capital theory and the theory of cumulative causation. The following discussions will explain these theories.
A. Social Capital Theory
The underlying principle of this theory rests on the interpersonal connections between the migrants and their relatives residing in the country which they intend to migrate. (Heering et al, 2004, 174) The behavioural attributes of these individuals are the focus of this theory. It is these factors that contribute to the continuance of migration in the international setting. The basic argument of this theory rests on the maintenance of the relationship of these relatives from the sending country and the receiving country. Particularly, the theory claims that migration will continue because the “costs and risks” for those who desire to migrate are considerably lower provided that that sustain their social connections and affairs with their relatives in the receiving country. This means that if the relatives from the sending country basically maintain close links with their relatives in the receiving country, then their desire to migrate will not only continue but also increase to a certain extent.
B. Cumulative Causation
Based also in the work of Heering et al (2004, 174) the underlying assumption of this theory is based on the observation that migration will eventually be able to sustain its occurrence. The said theory represents a premise that for every act of migration, a snowballing effect takes place by the surrounding circumstances within which decisions to migrate are acquired. To this end, networks are established and even expanded to a certain level. As a result, it creates a culture of migration. The argument means that for every single decision of an individual from a sending country to migrate, it creates a cumulative action may well establish a trend of migration from that sending country to a particular receiving country. All of this is anchored on the assumption that the decision to migrate will provide possibilities for economic mobility, income, and a better way of living. These desirable drives to migrate make the said decision acceptable not only to the single individual who initially decided to migrate, it also becomes desirable and acceptable to another person who learns of this possibility, thus making migration sustain itself. However, this could only work if the resources provided by the sending country is pitiable and needs lots of room for improvement. This culture created by this assumption rest on the greater part of society. It enhances the expectations and values of the individuals adhering to that culture. As a result, adverse effects may well entail. To illustrate, a new entrant to the labour force may not actually want to work on a domestic scale. He/she would want to migrate overseas in order to acquire what the stated culture of migration has instituted in their mentality. Specifically, they want to migrate to have mo possibilities for economic mobility, income, and a better way of living. To this end, this behaviour becomes part of the culture of a group of people all the same.
III. The Borderland Context
In common notion, the term borderland appears to connote of a land in adjoining countries, specifically those within a border. In the article of Chang (1999), he coined the terms “cultural borderland.” He defined this concept as a means to hold a society of various ethnicities. It is further characterized as a place where several cultures and races dwell in a common territory. In this context, the perspective of the borderland has been converted into more that just mere strip of land. To this discussion, we shall be using the content in which Chang (1999) used the term. Specifically, the term borderland in this context will denote a certain space where two or more culture resides in a common territory.
In the emergence of globalization, the creation of the global community, and not to mention the proliferation of migration generated a setting in which every country may well possess cultural borders. In this context, the terms become more psychological in nature. It is a psychological place because the migrants in this setting are subjected to psychological struggles brought about by the new culture they are facing as well as the likelihood of adhering to several cultural identities. (Chang 1999) It is this psychological state that contributes more of the confusion of cultural identity on the level of the individual. Personal struggles on adapting to a specific culture without compromising any possibility of neglecting the older culture may take a significant toll on a person.
Moreover, Chang (1999) also indicated that the context of the borderland appears to convert into a more political level especially when “hybrids” are involved. By this, hybrids are those who belong to the subsequent generations of migrants, those who have been born in the setting of the receiving country regardless of whether they are a product of interracial relationships.
Regardless, one could not discount the fact that we are currently living in a pluralistic society wherein no single culture is a norm or a standard. Borderland or not, countries are now subjugated by this phenomenon. To this end, the effects of such phenomenon are reflected on several aspects of cultures, a good illustration is music. The following discussions will be analyzing the culture of specific countries in relations to their musical styles.
IV. Culture as Reflected in Musical Styles
Music is constantly used as a tool to express human passions. Blau (1988, 884) even noted that it is an expression of a community as it is found in the experiences and notions of closeness among the members of a particular group. To this end, the bonds of a society are strengthened by means of musical derivatives. It defines a culture. As presented in the tribes of Africa, the Native American Indians in The United States, and the Aborigines in Australia. On a more contemporary level, the musical styles of Mexico and Puerto Rico will be taken into consideration in this part of the paper.
A. Mexico
There is no doubt that music is a big part of the culture of Mexicans. On a study of Sanchez (1995, 175) about the Mexican American culture during the early parts of the 1990s stated that Sundays were always close to fiestas in Los Angeles. Spanish ballads as well as corridos are often overheard in plazas and houses all throughout the day. Another study of Carrasco et al. (1957, 25) the presence of music and dancing are always anticipated in fiestas and considered as among the most vital elements of performances associated with rituals of the church during Holy Week.
On a more contemporary note, a study of Simonett (2000, 1) revealed the concept of the “banda and technobanda” that emerged in the California music scene. Apparently, the roots of this musical style originated from the Sinolan Banda (brass band) of the traditional period. With the use of electronic equipment and synthesizers, this form of music represents a modern take on the musical culture of the current generation of Mexican in the United States.
B. Puerto Rico
Similar to Mexico, Puerto Rico has a rich culture which could offer the world. A major contribution of the country to international music culture is the salsa. (Alarcon et al, 1998, 788) The said form of music apparently originated from Africa similar to the majority of musical forms existing all over the world. The African root in this country’s heritage was labelled as their la tercera raíz. (Davila, 1997, 70) This brought about genres as bomba and plena. (p70) As revealed in here, the music culture of Puerto Rico is in itself an amalgamation of different cultures mixed together and eventually created a genre that is uniquely Puerto Rican in flavour.
V. Perceived Identity Crisis
In the context of music, the Latin music genre was huge in the early part of the millennium not only in the United States but all throughout the world. The emergence of Latin stars like Ricky Martin brought about a string of artists with Latin origins. The danceable music targeted the bilingual and bicultural population in the United States which composed a huge part of the buying population. (Cepeda, 2000, 55) His performance on the 1999 Grammy Awards appeared to have triggered the rise of the Hispanic type of music in the international scene, well at least in Europe and the United States. In looking at the music made by Martin, it appears to still lean heavily on the genre provided by the music from Latin countries like Puerto Rico and Mexico. Aside from the modest use of the English language, the salsa beats were still recognizable and the use of Hispanic language on the lyrics reveals that it does stay clear of the musical styles distinctive of Puerto Rico and Mexico.
If there is indeed some kind of identity crisis to this end, the fault may rest on the record companies. Cepeda (2000, 60) took into consideration the case of Christina Aguilera, a “phenotypically Anglo singer” of Iris/Equadorian descent. In her case, they packaged her name in such a manner that it is “foreign-sounding” and, despite the release of and English-debut album which achieved platinum status, eventually re-released a Spanish album with some of her hits translated in the said language. In looking at this, phenomenon, the identity crisis in the musical context does not really rest on the musical genres of both Mexico and Puerto Rico.
VI. Conclusion
Globalization is seen in this paper as a determinant of change in a culture. It places demands on groups which subsequently have no choice but to adapt and consequently continue their course of self-preservation. In the context of Mexican and Puerto Rican music, it appears to stay clear of its roots, as revealed in the past boom in Latin music in 2000. As stated in the this paper, music is deeply ingrained in the culture of these countries that, though minor changes may be installed, it will continue to be distinctively Mexican and Puerto Rican music.
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
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