Key research themes
1. How has Chilean folk music and the Nueva Canción movement shaped national identity and political discourse?
This theme explores the resurgence and preservation of Chilean folk music traditions in the mid-20th century, focusing particularly on the Nueva Canción Chilena (NCC) movement. It investigates how musicians like Violeta Parra catalyzed a national folk revival, blending collection and performance to assert cultural nationalism. Additionally, it examines the symbiotic relationship between Nueva Canción and leftist political movements, notably the Chilean Unidad Popular government, assessing how music served both as cultural expression and socio-political activism during periods of democratic optimism, dictatorship, exile, and social unrest.
2. What role does pre-Columbian and indigenous heritage play in contemporary Chilean cultural identity and artistic expression?
This theme centers on the archaeological, museological, and cultural efforts to recognize, preserve, and integrate Chile’s pre-Columbian indigenous heritage as a foundation of national identity. It focuses on recent museum exhibitions and institutional collaborations that emphasize the diverse indigenous cultures across Chile’s geographic regions. This area highlights the dialogue between historical continuity and modern identity formation, reflecting on material culture, artistic creativity, and the adaptation of ancient traditions within contemporary Chilean society.
3. How has contemporary Chilean painting engaged with tradition and postmodern critique to redefine artistic identity?
This theme investigates contemporary Chilean painting’s negotiation with Western canonical traditions and postmodernist influences, highlighting artists who challenge binary classifications of culture and cultural identity. It considers the historical and philosophical discourses shaping painters’ approaches to persistence, narrative, and representation in a globalized art context marked by media saturation and the questioning of traditional forms.