Mediterranean Musicscapes in Contemporary Spain: From Mosaic to Net

by Kiko Mora (Editor)

Overview

This volume focuses on the musicscapes that contest, critique, and rethink Mediterraneidad (Mediterraneaness) in Contemporary Spain, and understands it as a fluid and elusive sociological, cultural, and artistic category. The volume argues that since the 1990s we have witnessed a shift in which the mythical image of “Mediterranean harmony” has been superseded by the net: a figure that represents the linking of urban nodes and trans governmental networks, migratory movements, and cultural fluidity.

Further, this book assesses how Mediterraneidad became, within the realm of music, the site and sign of a diverse array of social issues such as the formulation of Catalan, Valencian, Andalusian, and Mallorcan national identities, with the 2017 Catalan Independence process taking center stage. Using diverse methodologies-data-driven sociological approaches; ethnographic and anthropological tools; feminist and gender theories-the authors also address the rapidly changing social landscape that started in the 1980s due to global migrations as well as the dismantling of traditional gender dynamics.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798765102152
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	04/30/2026
Pages:	286
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Kiko Mora is Professor of Semiotics of Advertising and Consumption, and Culture Industries in the Department of Communication and Social Psychology at the University of Alicante, Spain. He also teaches flamenco and popular music at the University of Córdoba, Spain. He is co-editor of Rock around Spain. Historia, industria, escenas y medios de comunicación (2013) and author of De cera y goma laca. La producción de música española en la industria fonográfica estadounidense: 1894-1914 (2018).

Table of Contents

List of Figures, Maps, and Tables
Acknowledgements
General Map

General Introduction
Surfing the Mediterranean: Place, Identity and the Politics of Music in Contemporary Spain
Kiko Mora, University of Alicante, Spain

Part I: Tourism
Introduction
Kiko Mora, University of Alicante, Spain
1. "Mediterráneamente": Music Festivals as Industry, Utopia, and Experience of Place
Eduardo Viñuela, University of Oviedo, Spain
2. Against Neoliberalism: Anti-tourism and Musical Practices in a Mediterranean Paradise
Amadeu Corbera, Conservatori Superior de Música de les Illes Balears, Spain

Part II: Nationalism
Introduction
Kiko Mora, University of Alicante, Spain
3. Music as Political Activism in the Comarques Centrals des País Valencià: Social Justice, Identity, and Rock
Lluís Català Oltra, University of Alicante, Spain, and Clemente Penalva Verdú, University of Alicante, Spain
4. "We Will Find a Way Out:" Catalan World Music, Mestizaje and Political Engagement
Rubén Gómez Muns, Independent Scholar

Part III: Migration
Introduction
Kiko Mora, University of Alicante, Spain
5. How Mediterranean is Andalusian Popular Music?: (Re)Thinking Identities, Migrations and Dreams
Diego García Peinazo, University of Córdoba, Spain and Pedro Ordóñez Eslava, University of Granada, Spain
6. An Overview of Music from the Maghreb and Maghrebi Musicians in the Spanish Mediterranean Arc
Alicia González, Real Conservatorio Superior de Música “Victoria Eugenia” de Granada, Spain and Isabel Llano, Independent Scholar, Spain

Part IV: Gender
Introduction
Kiko Mora, University of Alicante, Spain
7. "Proud of Me," the New Catalan Cantautoras: Singing Belonging Beyond the Mediterranean
Gianni Ginesi, Barcelona's Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya, ESMUC, Spain
8. Bridging Gender Gaps in the Mediterranean Musical Scene: Celebrating the Women Singer-Songwriters of the Cançó
Pepa Novell, Independent Scholar, Spain
List of Contributors
Index

Editorial Reviews

We commonly think of Spanish music in terms of heritage and tradition, but this groundbreaking collection of essays reminds us that Spain's music is not just 'then,' it is also 'now'! And nowhere is this more evident than on the country's culturally vibrant Mediterranean coast. Leading experts take us on a wide-ranging voyage of discovery that charts a new and necessary course in music scholarship.” —Walter Aaron Clark, Distinguished Professor of Musicology, Director, Center for Iberian and Latin American Music, University of California, Riverside, USA

“This book contributes to a rich tradition of critical inquiry into Mediterranean music, which is seen as both a reflection and a battleground of Southern Europe. Kiko Mora has brought together an excellent team of contributors to thoroughly examine topics such as national identities, tourism, music festivals, migratory patterns, and other influential factors that shape the landscape of contemporary Spanish music.” —Sílvia Martínez, Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

“From an original perspective, the book explores current facets of music practices across the Spanish Mediterranean.” —Josep Martí, Researcher in Anthropology, Institució Milà i Fontanals CSIC, Barcelona, Spain

From the Publisher