The first publication to examine the visual, political and spiritual histories of dancehall, reggae en español, and reggaeton through the lens of contemporary art Published with Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. This bilingual (English/Spanish) book is the first critical volume to cover the complexity of Caribbean popular music through the lens of contemporary art, including the ways musical and social movements such as dancehall, reggae en español and reggaeton evolved into global phenomena. The book sheds light on the genres' migrations and shifting rhythms through contemporary artworks, while underscoring their social and political impact. It opens with an introduction by former Marilyn and Larry Fields Curator and Director of Curatorial Initiatives Carla Acevedo-Yates on the early days of the "underground" scene in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and its connections to contemporary art all over the world. The other five essays by different contributors draw attention to the politics and aesthetics of Caribbean popular music and the dance hall--a space where race, sexuality and class collide. Topics include the history and global spread of Jamaican sound system culture; the transnational history of reggaeton through reggae en español in Panama and Jamaican dancehall; the ways that feminist and queer spaces and aesthetics are growing within--and against--the male-dominated spaces and/or tropes related to these musical genres; and how dance amplified the 2019 demonstrations in Puerto Rico that brought about the resignation of then-governor Ricardo Rosselló. This multilayered publication presents artworks that examine and draw inspiration from music and dance as revolutionary practices for collective liberation rooted in the struggle against colonial oppression. Carla Acavedo-Yates was a curator at MCA Chicago. Julian Henriques is a professor at Goldsmiths, University of London and the author of Sonic Bodies: Reggae Sound Systems, Performance Techniques, and Ways of Knowing (Continuum). Sonjah Stanley Niaah is the author of Dancehall: From Slave Ship to Ghetto (University of Ottawa Press). Nibia Pastrana Santiago is a coeditor of Inhabiting the Impossible: Dance and Experimentation in Puerto Rico (University of Michigan Press). Dr. Ramón H. Rivera-Servera is dean at the College of Fine Arts at the University of Texas at Austin. He is author of Performing Queer Latinidad: Dance, Sexuality, Politics (University of Michigan Press, 2012). Publisher: Delmonico Books Publish Date: July 14, 2026 Pages: 304 Language: English Type: Hardcover EAN/UPC: 9781636811758 Dimensions: 11.1 X 8.2 X 1.2 inches | 3.13 pounds BISAC Categories: Music, Arts & Hobbies
