A song as a sonic and literary manifestation is life’s soundscape, a unique, cathartic memento as well as a powerful political tool. A song can also be an important historical text. A person’s testimonio (testimony), life views, triumphs, aphorisms, and struggles can be expressed in song lyrics. In this way, song lyrics can transmit ways of knowing and theorizing about life. When practiced in community, songwriting is a powerful exercise in consensus building and collective knowledge production. Gonzalez will discuss collective songwriting, the history and development of the method, the different stages of the process and the significance it has had in Chicano Latino communities in East Los Angeles.
Lecturer
Martha Gonzalez
Associate Professor of Chicanx-Latinx Studies at Scripps College and Director of the Scripps College Humanities Institute