Liberal Studies | Popular Music and Contemporary U.S. Culture - Personal Statement Example

Wald, "Just a Girl? Rock Music, Feminism, and the Cultural Construction of Female Youth In this article, Wald revisits Gwen Stefani’s and her group No Doubt 1996 hit song, I am Just a girl. The main argument that Wald proposes is that Contemporary female rock artists have reconstructed girlhood and the identity of the girl child in their musical performances. She cites several rock artists and their songs that try to tackle the place and the identity of the girl child in the modern world. The main claim made by Wald is that in rock songs and artists, feminism has been able to be rekindled and to reach more girls than ever.

Wald’s argument and article is significant in feminist studies as a new subgenre emerges. Her article helps to feed feministic studies from the perspective of young girls, female rock musicians and role of music in the feminist movement. Henderson, "Disco" http://allmusic.com/explore/essay/disco-t2151 Henderson’s article reflects on the beginning of the Disco culture in the music industry. His major claim is that the main difference between disco songs and the northern soul songs of the 1970’s in which disco is founded, was the lyrics.

He argues that disco songs primarily avoided the sociopolitical subjects of the 1970’s and concentrated more on subjects that involved love, sex, partying and dancing. He claims that disco was and will still remain a danceable genre that will be suited for partying. The significance of Henderson’s article lies in his claim. By claiming that disco is primarily a danceable and partying genre in music, scholars and historians will form arguments in support and opposition to this claim. The article is also important in tracing the origins of disco music.

Frank, "Discophobia: Antigay Prejudice and the 1979 Backlash Against Disco" Franks article, Disco-phobia looks back at the 1979 culmination of Disco demolition. In his article, Frank argues that the anti-disco movement was not a revolt of disco itself as a socially acceptable music culture but it was a revolt against the identities that were associated with disco Music. He proposes that there was a general perception in society that disco was gay and homo/heterosexual definitions. Franks paper is important in the study of anti-gay and prejudice in society from the perspective of music.

He claims that the destruction of Disco in 1979 was not only a big leap backwards in the music industry but also the beginning of public and violent prejudice against male and female same sex relationships. Lipsitz, "The Hip Hop Hearings: The Hidden History of Deindustrialization" Lipsitz claims in her article that hip hop music has been a victim of moral panic by older people especially black older people who have tried to link the social delinquency amongst black youths on the rise of gangster rap.

The article proposes that this should not be the case as hip-hop is a reflection of society and it has a lot more good compared to the bad. The importance of this article is in trying to give a new perspective of gangster rap and its importance in the youth’s society. In this article, Lipstiz raises questions that will bring forth arguments about the influence of music on the shaping of young people. Rivera, "Ghettocentricity, Blackness and Pan-Latinidad: The Mid-to Late 1990s-from Google books In this article, Rivera cites several literature works that tackle the issue of commercialized rap and the narrowing of blackness or rap as a ghetto-centered music.

He claims that 1990’s rap evolved itself in misrepresenting black people as tough and hardcore ghetto products. All rap musicians adopted ghetto like rap styles and cultures, which he sees as having been a big misrepresentation of the black entity. This article is important in raising awareness on the misrepresentation of black people and their society through rap music. Lipsitz, Ch. 3: "Banda: The Hidden History of Greater Mexico" In this article, Helena Simonett recounts how Banda , which is music by Mexican immigrants in the US became a success.

The main theme that Simonett essays captures is the importance of reinventing cultural music in an urban perspective. Through the article, Simonett points at how Banda enabled one radio local Mexican radio station became the greatest station in the US due to its playing of Banda music. The significance of this article lies in its encouragement of reinvention of cultural music into new forms that can speak to new and emerging cultures across the world. Lipsitz, Ch. 2: "Salsa: The Hidden History of Colonialism" The subject of this article is the issue of identity amongst the Puerto Ricans due to the burial of the great salsa figure Hector Lavoe in the US.

His burial in the Bronx brought forth the nation’s argument on issues of great Puerto Rican migrants to the US. This article is significant in highlighting how music and dance have become an important part in the history of several nations. Musical figures who have become a phenomenon in their countries play a major role in creating nationalistic values in their countries. Lipsitz, Ch. 9: "Merengue: The Hidden History of Dominican Migration" In this article, Lipsitz highlights the Dominican migrant’s history in New York.

The main theme of the paper is the issue of traditional nationalism in transnational age as reflected through song and dance. Lipsitz insists that through Anthony Santo’s song, the history and nationalism of the Dominican migrants in the US was brought to the forefront. The Significance of this paper is in portraying how music can be used to create a arguments on nationalistic values amongst migrant societies. Kun, "Rock’s Reconquista" Kun’s article, rock Reconquista claims that rock in Spanish as depicted in 1996 independence day performance is a mass cultural movement that provides a stage for the discussion of music as a post-national discourse.

Kun states that rock in Spanish is interwoven with multiple cultures through the inclusion of American musical formations in a widely seen Mexican musical genre. He asserts that rock in Spanish is synonymous to the youths around the Mexican-American border as a popularly known form of art that claims the conquest of English. Kun’s argument is significant in the studies of music as a form of national pride and cultural identification. The article enriches arguments by musical scholars that music is owned by a nation.

Works citedWald, Gayle. "Just a Girl? Rock Music, Feminism, and the Cultural Construction of Female Youth." Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society 23, No. 3. 1998Henderson, Alex "Disco" http://allmusic.com/explore/essay/disco-t2151 Frank, Gillian"Discophobia: Antigay Prejudice and the 1979 Backlash Against Disco" Journal of the History of Sexuality. Vol. 16, no. 2 , May 2007Lipsitz, George. "The Hip Hop Hearings: The Hidden History of Deindustrialization" University of Minnesota Press, 2007Rivera, Raquel Z.

"Ghettocentricity, Blackness and Pan-Latinidad: The Mid-to Late 1990s” New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003Lipsitz, George. Ch. 3: "Banda: The Hidden History of Greater Mexico" " University of Minnesota Press, 2007Lipsitz, George. Ch. 2: "Salsa: The Hidden History of Colonialism" " University of Minnesota Press, 2007Lipsitz, George. Ch. 9: "Merengue: The Hidden History of Dominican Migration" " University of Minnesota Press, 2007Kun, Josh. “Rocks Reconquista.” In Audiotopia: Music, Race, and America.

Berkeley: University of California Press, 2004