The Musical Bridge—Intercultural Regionalism and the Immigration Challenge in Contemporary Andalusia

Abstract

The ideals of tolerance and cultural exchange associated with the interfaith past of Muslim Spain (al-Andalus) have become a symbol for Andalusian regionalism and for the integration of Moroccan communities. Nowhere is this more keenly felt than in the context of music. In cities such as Granada, Moroccan and Spanish musicians actively promote the ideals of intercultural dialogue through the performance of repertoires such as flamenco and Arab-Andalusian music that allegedly possess a shared cultural history. In this article, we examine the interrelationship between music and ‘intercultural regionalism’, focusing on how music is used by public institutions to ground social integration in the discourse of regionalism. Against a backdrop of rising Islamophobia and the mobilization of right-wing populist and anti-immigration rhetoric both within Spain and internationally, the authors consider how music can be used to promote social integration, to overcome Islamophobia and to tackle radicalization. We advance two arguments. First, we argue that the musical interculturalism promoted by a variety of institutions needs to be understood within the wider project of Andalusian regionalism. Here, we note that musical integration of Spain’s cultural and historical ‘Other’ (Moroccans) into Andalusian society is promoted as a model for how Europe can overcome the alleged ‘death of multiculturalism’. The preferential way to achieve this objective is through ‘intercultural regionalism’, envisioned as the combination of regional identity-building and intercultural interactions between communities that share a common cultural heritage. Second, we assess some of the criticism of the efficacy of al-Andalus as a model for contemporary intercultural exchange. Combining approaches in political science and ethnomusicology, we focus on one case study, the Fundación Tres Culturas (FTC). Through interviews with figures within the FTC, we examine why this model has become partly insufficient and how it is borne out in the sorts of musical activities programmed by FTC that seek to move beyond the ‘andalusí’ myth. We conclude by recognizing the continuing regional and international importance of this myth but we question its integrating capacity at a time of radical political, economic and environmental upheaval.

Is there an ethnicity bias in Catalan secessionism? Discourses and political actions

“…Naturally, the positive attitude towards immigration and diversity is not exclusive to the Catalan case. In the Spanish context this positive attitude towards immigration can be also found in other regions where there is an identity issue in place such as Basque nationalism (Jeram, 2012) and Andalusian regionalism (Conversi & Machin-Autenrieth, 2019).…”

Influencia Islámico-Andaluza en La Construcción Del Flamenco Como Género Musical.

“…La música ha supuesto un símbolo del regionalismo andaluz y de la integración de las comunidades marroquíes en Andalucía. La relación entre la música y el regionalismo intercultural se muestra mediante la interpretación de repertorios como el flamenco y la música arábigo-andaluza dadas las similitudes que afirman la existencia de un patrimonio cultural común (Conversi & Machin-Autenrieth, 2020). Uno de los libros de mayor relevancia para el flamenco, pionero en describir las primeras apariciones que tenemos del flamenco, es la obra costumbrista del siglo XIX denominada "Escenas Andaluzas" cuyo autor es el ilustre flamencólogo Serafín Estébanez Calderón.…”

Ciberbullying xenófobo y/o racista en estudiantes de enseñanza musical

“…Por este motivo, esta investigación se ha elaborado en los diferentes entornos educativos de las ciudades de Ceuta, Melilla y Comunidad Autónoma de Andalucía. Estas provincias se constituyen como ciudades fronterizas del sur de España, que aglomeran una gran diversidad cultural, étnica y religiosa que se ve reflejado en sus aulas (Conversi & Machin-Autenrieth, 2019). En el que además toma gran relevancia en la investigación, puesto que no existen suficientes evidencias en la investigación o literatura práctica dentro de los campos de la música o las artes, relacionado con el ciberbullying xenófobo y/o racista y la influencia de la enseñanza musical sobre este tipo de acoso (Elpus & Carter, 2016;Epelde-Larrañaga et al, 2020;Westerlund et al, 2021).…”