Música Norteña: Mexican Migrants Creating a Nation between Nations (review)

Abstract

duration signals a reversal of time and space with the most serious of consequences for the tradition. This preoccupation resonates strongly with a broader concept of the overturning of time/space known throughout the Andes as pachakutik, a phenomenon that brings profound transformations. Normally the pachakutik is conceived of as a dramatic correction to a disequilibrium of order, time, and society, so perhaps what Ferrier describes corresponds more aptly to the erosion of the cosmological, ritual, social, and musical correlations within the festival prior to such a cosmic upheaval. Although the author of Navidad en los Andes remains confident in the ability of Andean peoples to adapt and integrate new elements and foreign influences into their culture, he also cautions against accelerated change that precludes a space for reflection and gradual transformation that allows a healthy degree of continuity with the past. I found Ferrier’s unpretentious narrative style refreshing, and his respect for the people and culture of Querco heartening. As a cultural anthropologist doing research on ritual traditions elsewhere in the Andes, I would have liked to read more about the symbolism of the costumes and for the author to share a more in depth interpretation of the festival masks. I was also quite curious about the power dynamics, politics, and symbolism of performances inside versus outside of the Church. These two points are small remarks, however, in light of the rich cultural and musical portrayal Ferrier offers.